Watered Garden

Allan, I think Galatian 5:12 would be where I'd start if punishing these monsters was up to me. We had a case in Ohio a few years back, where a predator living in the neighborhood kidnapped and raped a little girl, and was preparing to move away from where he was staying, and had actually been in the process of keeping her tied up in the attic, but was working to wall up the space, so she would be sealed off and left to die of starvation, bound and gagged and helpless. Well, the SOB was caught, girl was rescued, and he was convicted and sent to prison, where he was promptly (less than 1 year) murdered. Sometimes the bad guys know more about justice that the good guys, who are so concerned about rehabilitating the sick little fellows who perpetrate these crimes. WG Digi, I remember that case quite well, lived out there at the time. Clever SOB!

Dot, that was one of the best posts I ever read on GSC or anywhere else. Thank you so much. WG Dot, that was one of the best posts I ever read on GSC or anywhere else. Thank you so much. WG

My life in the last few years of TWI was a parched and dry land. When we were recovering, we attended this little church where a visiting pastor used Isaiah 58:11 that says My people shall be a watered garden. Shortly thereafter, my mother died, and as part of a grief/healing time, I wrote an article for their little monthly paper that they put out and used that verse and surrounding verses. I think it was in the old GreaseSpot someplace, too. Anyway, I like those verses, so there ya go! The little flower that blooms and closes and blooms again is very appropriate, I think, and the GO BUCKS! is self-explanatory to anyone who watched that awesome Fiesta Bowl game! WG

Thank you, Allan. Happy and Blessed New Year to you and Selina and family! AND ALL THE REST OF YOU GREASESPOTTERS, TOO - Happy New Year and God Bless! WG

I remember so much of this so well. I didn't know the WC were told not to call right away, because mine sure did. I came over first thing in the morning (2Life & husband never locked their door in case someone needed them in the middle of the night or something) and 2Life got up and came out to see if I was okay. I was, sort of. I was surprised no one had told us he was sick. There had been 24 hours of prayer for him a few days previously. Later, I was extremely shocked to find he had had melanoma, and the eye removal was related to that. Turns out that particular duplicity from TWI HQ was just the tip of the iceberg, eh? WG

One I read someplace a long time ago: Here lies the grave of Mike O'Day Who died maintaining his right-of-way. His right was clear, his will was strong, and he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong!

((((((Rascal, Dot, Exxie))))) I had no idea during the 70's and 80's that so many suicides happened. Or even near suicides. Though I have contemplated such myself while in TWI. There was a girl in my WOW branch (Ft. Worth, TX 1974-75) who went into the 7th corps, went home for "ho ho relo", and while her aprents were out shopping, stuck a gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. I guess it's best not to mention her name here, but if anyone knows anything about it and can PT me??? G*** Pa****** told me about it and said her parents blamed LCM for her suicide. She said he was very upset about it. But that is all I know. WG

Medic, Would this fellow perhaps have used terms like "blind eyes" or "whited sepulchures"? Or "hypocrites"? I think that was one of His favorites! WG

Belle, I never realized when I was "in" how bizarre these "teachings" are. I'm sure there's more to this! Thanks for your hard work, and keep it coming, okay? WG

I'll never buy a box of Q-Tips again after reading this! :blink:

Tom, I'd send you 39 one cent stamps, but they are all canceled already! I think Monday when I'm off I will take an inventory and see what I can come up with. It doesn't sound like anything much in the way of money. The plate blocks are all in pristine condition, gum and all. Some are in little bitty glassine envelopes to protect them. My favorite, so far, is a block of four stamps that, when together, shows the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Of course these are pristine as well. Thanks for the food for thought. Anyone else? WG

We used to have hundreds of tapes, too, but the littel sumbytch who was our last bc made us get rid of them as old wine that was holding us back. Some of them were from the early 1970's. Then the little jerk M&Ad us anyway. WG

Thanks! Some of the ones I remember were a block commemorating 1st man on the moon, the death of JFK, honoring Sir Winston Churchill. A bunch of dead presidents, flowers, this, that and the other thing. WG

In cleaning up the basement last week during break, I ran across a flat box that I thought contained old photographs. Instead, it was my mom's stamp collection. That evening, I sat down and went through the box. There was an old scrapbook, obviously started by a child, with page after page filled with cancelled stamps stuck to the page. But underneath the album were a whole lot of uncancelled stamps, in blocks of 4, 6 and 8, all with a serial number in a corner. Also there were several stamped envelopes from the USPS stamped "first day of issue" with a special stamp. Often there were blocks of these stamps as well as the envelope. The envelopes were mostly unopened, as if they had been sent in self-addressed for the specific purpose of being stamped and sent back. I kind of remember some of this. It apparently went on for years. My question, and I see I've once again made a short story long, is this: Does anyone out there know anything about stamp collecting and even more importantly, how can I find out if any of these are worth anything. The blocks and first day of issue stamps seem to mostly date from about 1950 to 1971 or so. There are others that are cancelled that date from the 1930's, including some on envelopes from The War Department and some from correspondence from WW II, presumably from the fiance' she dumped to marry my dad. It is all very interesting, but I'd rather have the money, not being big on collecting things myself. Any suggestions? Any philatelists? (no that's not a nasty word, it's a stamp collector). thanks, WG

Three cars pull up to a stop sign. In the first car is a little old lady and in the third car is a state highway patrolman. Between them is a medium-sized sedan with many bumper stickers on the rear "Honk if you love Jesus", "WWJD", "In Case of Rapture This Car Will Be Unmanned," and the like. The little old lady drops something in the car, and instead of proceeding on, she begins to fumble around on the seat. The man driving the middle car (with the bumper stickers) becomes impatient, then very impatient. Finally, he starts flashing his lights and blowing his horn. Eventually he rolls down his window and screams "GET THE ***** OUT OF THE ****** ROAD, YOU *****' ******* *******!" The little old lady drives off. The state trooper promptly turns on his siren and lights and pulls the middle car over. The driver, still flustered, complains to the cop: "Did you see that idiot? Did you see the way she just SAT there? You should arrest her instead of harassing ME! I didn't do ANYTHING!" The cop asks to see his license, registration, and proof of insurance, which the unhappy motorist produces reluctantly, still griping. The officer goes back to his car, gets on the radio, and after about 15 minutes returns to the bumper sticker-bedecked vehicle. "You can go now, sir." he says, handing back the documentation. "Why did you make me wait? What were you doing? I told you I didn't do anything!" The driver asked. "Well, sir, I read your bumper stickers about Jesus coming back, and what would Jesus do, and after seeing the way you behaved toward that little old lady driver, I was sure this car must be stolen!"

I gotta vote for Mike and Janet Donovan in Charleston SC. They were always "there for you" literally as well as figuratively. Ask 2Life about the toga party some time! And the dinners! Mike has always had a great concern for young people. Their home was always full of them. It was the best of times... WG

There were all kinds of people displaced by the hurricanes. Undoubtedly some were wonderful people with bad luck. Some, however, appear to have been nasty littlejerks before the hurricane, and only became worse. The Browns were going to clean the house after they moved out? They were living in filthy conditions in a house that belonged to someone else? This makes me wonder if they were simply doing what they usually did, living in filth, sleeping in late, not working, and expecting, even demanding someone else take care of them. As a former landlord, I have little sympathy for those who take advantage of kind people. And while perhaps the church people were too aggressive in wanting them to get up and find jobs, (they should have knocked) , I don't think this family should have expected to live there free forever.

My husband went through the "ceremony" at summer school. It was a big fat joke, which has now, many decades later, been blown way way out proportion. The substance consumed was the root of a local weed called Indian turnip, not some mysterious substance from India. It has a taste similar to horseradish, and burns like horseradish also. It was more like a fraternity stunt than some black mass type of activity. They were given water to wash it down, which merely spread it more liberally around their mouths. I personally think it's a sorry joke, but husband suffered no ill effects and took it as it was meant, a joke on the gullible summer school students. Now let's don't start ragging on my husband for being stupid or something, okay? You don't even know him and he is one of the smartest people I ever met. Sorry to end the mystery and thus, probably, the fun. WG

Happy Birthday from Mr. Garden and me! :D

A couple of things.... L McD and Do**M have been friends for years, just friends is all. Moneyhands were LC in NC 1992-93. That was indeed quite the place! I don't remember anyone living with them, but I remember a formal guest room with a book to sign and write a note of thanksgiving for the privilege of staying there, which we did one night when taking some class or other to qualify for FWC. We actually got sleep in the same bed with LCM had utilized during his stay in the Limb Home. They made a big point about LCM slept here. Greenes had rented the house when they were LC and B&DM kind of inherited the lease from them. It was a really nice house with a big kitchen and a family room with a big TV, for then. WG

As I recall, there was a law that a road such as Wierwille Road could only be private if someone owned all the property on both sides of the road. LCM was going to buy the farm across the road that abuts onto the woods for 6 million dollars, and had a purchase agreement up to that effect on a bulletin board in the dining room in the big building whose name escapes me at the moment. However, the sale never came to pass. They did buy property on one corner of W. Road and hwy 29, but not the other corner. It is certainly legal to drive down W. Road. It would not be legal to pull off onto the berm and sit there, or to use one of their driveways to turn around, or to park on their property. if they objected. I don't know if that law has been changed or not. I doubt it. WG

Belle thanks for posting this list. I can identify just about everything there. I have a lot of trust issues. I am sufficiently hurt by criticism that I have a hard time defending myself. It's getting better, because I realized how far, far away from God TWI is. And how far-reaching God's grace is. But it sure helped me that you posted this list. Thanks again. WG

Voting trivia for Raf (who probably knows this already) The Church of England has a patron saint of disputed elections - Saint Chad! Honest. I am not making that up. WG

This sounds like the response to Hurricane Hugo! What great hearts these people have. Thank God for them. wG

Praise God!