Watered Garden

The last time I was there was in 1995, so I wouldn't be able to give you an up to date description. It was always immaculately landscaped and everything was perfect. No buildings needed the paint retouched, no weeds in the flower beds. It was I think originally 142 acres. It was the farm that belonged to the Wierwille family. TWI added a big building that looks like a giant pole barn called the outreach services center, for offices, printing and publishing etc, and on the other side of the road was a patch of woods, behind which is the Way Corps Chalet/President's Home discussed here on another thread. There are a lot of features, but what goes on there is not as pretty as it seems. Kind of like a hand painted Havilland Limoges porcelain chamber pot, IMO. WG

Yesterday hubby & I visited his family up in the NW corner of the state, and decided to stop on the way home at a berry farm fairly close to Columbus, that happens to be on State Route 29. A hot but pretty day it was, and we decided to just get on 29 and drive all the way down. "Are we going past, uh...?" I asked. "Yep, through New Knoxville and everything." was his answer. So down the road we went, rolling past prosperous looking farms shimmering in the amazing heat. Slowed down, through NK and no Adolph's, it's some kind of an office or something, on out the other side, and there it was, on a very high pole, the green trimmed with orange sign stating "You are always welcome at The Way." I suggested to hubby that if we were so welcome, maybe we should take a stroll through the woods. "Nope, don't think so." was all he said. Of course, we both knew this would net us an arrest, not a welcome. The sign sure looks like it's on a higher pole than it used to be. Those country boys must be getting good with rocks! Odd thing to me was, I didn't feel a thing. No regret, no nostalgia, not even anger. After the zillions of times I was eagerly anticipating that turn onto Wierwille Road, straining to see the sign, excited about the Rock of Ages or some class, or just a SNS. Just thought, oh, well, whatever. Maybe I'm getting over it after all. WG

I.R.A. - Irish Republican Army?????

We were in a parade on the 4th! Our church float won a trophy for "Most Patriotic", with an American flag made of paper and the title 'ONE NATION UNDER GOD". On the back was a painting of our little church, with the caption "Blessed is the Nation Whose God is the Lord". It was absolutely beautiful. About wore my tooties off marching behind it with my grandson in a wagon. We passed out chilled bottles of water to the spectators! What fun!

Bowtwi, That just blows my mind! In traditional wedding ceremonies, there is this line about "what God has joined together, let no man break asunder" or something like that. Who on earth did they think they were? WG :blink:

Bramble, when was this? I think you were "in" a bit longer than we were. I do think that about 1994-5, there was an undercurrent of fear in the demeanor of the older WC, as if they had to ream us all out and get rid of anyone they could to prove themselves worthy of remaining faithful little Waybots. V**K and K***y had meetings with every couple in the twig; one guy was straitly threatened that he was self-employed and didn't make a lot of money; his kids were grown but his wife was working full time at a job she enjoyed. He was commanded to obtain gainful employment elsewhere or the ax would fall. (V**k) was self-employed also, but his wife did not work and his mom-in-law was generous to a fault, so I guess this was okay). What was considered "weakness" was totally subjective on the part of the WC assigned to attack the hapless leaf. My husband did not believe in kicking our son in the buttocks, beating him, berating him, or telling him he was weak adn stupid and should be like someone else's child who was perfect. Therefore, my husband was weak and without character. When the edict about not being permitted to own a home was set forth, it was even worse. We didn't own a home, but those who did were commanded to sell theirs immediately. One lovely couple who were WC got kicked out because their house sold but did not close by the -LCM appointed deadline. Another couple smarter than most said "F you" and kept their house and left. They were castigated becuase it was declared that their house was their god. One guy, however, personal close friend of D*** M*****r, figured out how he could pay off his mortgage in three years. He was permitted to do so and keep his home, at the specific pleasure of the MINIMOG. Okay. I think I am derailing this thread with my disgust and frustration. Enough already! WG

I was but a young Wayfer, in fact I think just before I went to FWTX and met Mr. Strange, there was a discussion amongst some returning WOW's, Advanced Class grads, WC, and some who were one or more of the aforementioned categories, which name tag to wear, and which one went above the other, i.e., took precedence. Is it more significant that I am WC, WOW, AdvClass or what? People at that ROA ended up wearing all their name tags at one time! It finally came to a halt when the ever-savvy Dorothy Owens got up to direct a rehearsal of the Way Chorale Internationale (remember that?) with about 10 name tags pinned to the front of her dress. She turned in a circle with that "teacher" look on her face and did not say one word. Hopefully, the message was gotten by those to needed it the most. I had PFAL, WOW, ADVCLASS and one from when we got to fly on Ambassador One from Georgia to Rome Cit y for a weekend with the Family WC, which unfortunately did not forewarn us to stay awaaaayyyy! WG

ShortFuse, I would love to point you in their direction so's you could pound on them, but I don't think it would change their sad little minds. Instead I pity and pray for their own children, at least two of whom are now high school graduates. I hope they get out and see that Mom, Dad, and TWI are NOT the greatest things in life. I hope they get to personally know Jesus Christ without interference. They are the real victims. The oldest was 10 the last I saw him, and a self-righteous little prig he was indeed. Actually REPROVED me because I didn't fold my bath towels correctly and because I did not know how to properly place the bottom, fitted sheet on the bed! (in my defense I didn't know there was only one way - his mom's of course). He had learned this attitude from his parents, who no doubt discussed us at length in front of him. All this stuff broke relationships between parents and children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives. It was so meaningless in the long run. It is sorry indeed that in the early years of the 1990's it seemed that the more leadershi! hurt people, degraded and demeaned them, shattered relationships, broke up marriages, etc., the greater men and women of God those leaders were deemed to be by their own higher-ups. I spent 3 years in western Washington living in terror, two of them with newly diagnosed diabetes which I was told was the result of some sin I had committed (later someone told me it was because I didn't revere the MOGFODAT sufficiently), told to abandon my son, teased with the prospect of leaving my husband, heart pounding every time the phone rang or D***D M***er looked in my direction, waiting for the next shoe to drop, the next summons to an immediate meeting with the MINIMOG or our TC, V**K R***O, who was always on one of our butts about something meaningless (talk about get the beam out of your own eye!) It basically messed up my relationship with my son, probably forever. It came close to breaking my trust in my husband, because I knew if I left I would die; I already had a disease. I actually told my son that he had caused us to leave TWI, that I would now die and it was his fault. I still have deep, deep trust issues and a silent, simmering, rebellious anger at what happened out there, and my own acquiescence through fear. I should have told K***y R***o to go to he11 for what she said about and to my son; he was dirt under her feet and he was only 12 when we moved out there. But everyone was convinced Prov. 31:10-31 was written about her and she was always right and perfect. The last I knew they were branch leaders in Bend, Oregon. In the immortal words of one of my favorite philosophers, B. A. Barakas: "Ah pity the fools!" I did apologize to my son, but I don't think it helped much. WG

Last season was our first watching 24, and I had nightmares every Monday night for most of the time! Doesn't poor old Jack every have a GOOD day?

Yeah. Dot, western WA was not a good place to be a kid in the early 90's. The same charming fellow who told us to use the 2x4 gave us some kind of crappy, highly unsolicited counselling about our marriage. First he told husband he was weak and lacking in character. (we had "undershepherded" this guy in Ohio when he was a college student). Then he went into the rant about the kid again. Then, a couple of months later, we were at a meeting and the BC was there and asks me how things are going. "Just wonderful," I burble, thinking this is what he wants to hear. It is. "Now see," he says triumphantly to me, "just learning to communicate helps a marriage so much, don't you agree?" "Oh, of course!" I reply, smiling like a mule eating sour briers. I have NEVER ONCE figured out what that conversation was all about. Apparently the TC had told the BC something entirely different than the fact that I blew him off and my husband stormed out of their house. Totally weird. :blink:

TWI leadershi! told us to "get rid of" our troubled, adopted son. We were told to drive him to downtown Seattle, push him out of the car, and drive away, never too look back or even think of him again. The branch leader at one point, verbalized regret that he couldn't gather together the "men of the city" and take this 13 year old kid outisde the gates of the suburb of Seattle where we lived, to "stone him with stones that he die". We were counselled separately by our HFC. I don't know what my husband was told, but I was told that if my husband decided to keep him, I would have to make my own decision whether to go along with that or stand for God, which subtly meant I'd have to leave my marriage to obey God and stand forth boldly and fearlessly upon the exceedingly great and glorious wonders of the present truth. One leader told me that if his 3-year-old daughter, the only girl, ever caused him to get distracted from the present truth, he would gladly grab her by the hair and kick her little butt right out the door of his house, never to see her again. He would prefer to see her starve in the streets to having to deal with her at all. This same man told us to take our son up into the mountains and take turns "hitting him with a 2x4 until he knows if he doesn't obey, the next time he will die." This was early 90's stuff. Kids were considered suspect in those days. We were taught at RomeCity that it is very easy for children to get possessed and they must be vigorously and persistently disciplined to keep their little minds safe from possession...but I digress. My husband and I were very likeminded on one thing - we got the he11 out of there. WG

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And weren't you the lucky one!!!!!

23.00

Bek, And that would be........? The rest of the story......?

Shellon, A tomato in the yard is still better than those pasty pink, rock-hard, dry-as-a-bone, substitutes we find in the grocery stores in the winter!

Good grief! I'm sorry you had to lose friends over something like that. Maybe they have no friends when it comes to getting their own way! For myself, maturing out of cultspeak and cultthink has included listening to others' points of view, and not worrying too much about it if their views differ from mine. Hey, only eternity will tell! (PS I don't read the doctrinal section but I think you should post away to your heart's content.) WG PPS: talk about "just take it on faith, brother!" That's what I ended up doing the last ten years or so I was "in." It does people good to hear others' points of view and consider them, IMO.

Been thinking the same thing myself, Rascal. Very humbling, I must admit.

Toward the last of our involvement, I got the distinct impression that anyone who was around who got involved with TWI in the 60's and 70's was an "old wineskin." I distinctly remember the smug, giggling little MOGGIE wannabe in the last place we "fellowshipped" saying in a BR meeting that he didn't think any of us oldsters had the strength to handle the present truth. Nope, he thought we'd all have to go. And he set about ruthlessly kicking to the curb anyone who wasn't fit to stand forth boldly and fearlessly....in other words anyone who wasn't a close personal friend of his, anyone who had "problems" with children, etc. It was like a communist purge. The next meeting, a few families would be missing, and you knew they had been M&A'd overnight, consigned to the mists of outer darkness by the nasty little LCM-wish-I-was. Only slightly : I got news for ya, pal, problems and weaknesses are what make me strong, because then I have to rely on the strength of God. And I expect by now, being a little more of a grown-up (I hope), you have come to realize that everyone has problems, sickness, rotten kids, discolored teeth, bad breath, etc, in their own lives. It's called being human, and we all are just that, imperfect human beings, with problems and weaknesses. We are only strong when we admit we don't have many answers and need God to strengthen us, love us up, and teach us how to love each other. God bless you, D & R M***er! I hope you come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior 'cause I don't think you had a clue back in E*****, W*********. WG

I am aware that in Ohio, a widow gets 1/3 of her husband's estate, no matter what he has said in his will. In other words, if it's a second marriage, and he wants to leave it all to his kids and not his second wife, she can still petition the courts or sue the estate or something for up to 1/3 of the estate. What I don't know is whether this is also true in Florida. We have someone near and dear who is in this situation, and I am more than a little certain their permanent residence is Florida (no state income tax). This old boy has property in both states, which he is leaving to his only child. Now if he predeceases his wife, she will be homeless! (This guy is a piece of work, but I digress). I would like some information so that should the occasion arise, we can protect her, in case the old shuffles off this mortal coil. Thanks for any help, suggestions, links to websites, etc. WG

It's the twinkle in the eye that says, "With me, it would be fun!"

Kit, There are many ways of making fried green tomatoes. I think some folks soak them in a bowl of ice water in the fridge before they fry them up. Anyways, you pick hard bright green tomatoes, slice them into about 1/2 inch thick slices, roll them in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and fry them in hot oil about 3 minutes on each side, getting them nice and browned in the process. Drain on paper towels. Serve while still hot. Garlic salt is good. You could probably use other herbs/spices. Don't much like 'em myself, but have fixed them for spouse, son, whoever wants some. WG

Uh, wouldn't that be green tomato jam? :unsure:

Cowgirl, I hate to say it, but I agree with those who predict the demise of your tomato plants. We also had a tragic end to most of our baby seedlings, caused by an amazing gust of strong wind that blew all but one flat to probably Michigan, or at least Cleveland a couple weeks ago. We generally have 4-5 dozen tomato plants, as my husband works in a restaurant and donates them to the salad crew. I can and can and can. However, while Mr. Clark is right, winter is a culinary bummer, those home-canned tomatoes are as close as it gets to right off the vine for a few months. We make marinara, tomato juice and canned tomatoes. It's a lot of work, but the rewards are plentiful. I would heartily recommend Better Boy and Celebrity for all eating, canning, and cooking. But that's our neck of the woods. Good luck, and hope you either resurrect your plants or buy new ones! Ain't nuthin' like home grown tomatoes! WG

I got 100%! And, I haven't gotten a speeding ticket since 1997! Kinda balances out my husband, who collects speeding tickets like some folks collect baseball cards. WG (one of Geico's favorite drivers)