Season of Love

Season of Love

What have we done you and me to this season of love and joy?
We stress ourselves and worry about giving some worldly toy
In sadness I lay in bed and weep for my lack of things of this world
And how I’ll disappoint my son and my little girls

Every year it’s the same old thing money is never enough
To buy the things I want for my kids all their stockings to stuff
I’m not alone, as I watch the news all society’s the same
They report “businesses are worried about the profit they’ll gain”

What have we done to this Season when we honor the birth
Of the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of this earth?
Does it please Him to know what we’ve become
Searching for worldly treasures instead of sharing His love and wisdom?

If we were to ask what gift would Christ like to see us give away
What would it be what gift would Jesus say?
Would he like the pushing and shoving at malls to fight for the newest fad
Or the way we suffer over profit and loss and things that make us sad?

Would it be to give our heart and soul to all the people we meet
To share the Love of Jesus with everyone that we greet?
Give my kids the opportunity to serve and bless another’s day
Go to church and worship Him, kneel and humbly pray?

Seek guidance from God to know his will what he would have us do
To bless the lives of others his work on earth to continue
Open our eye’s and hearts find ways to bless our neighbors
With love and kindness everyday not only once a year

There’s many things we can do, we must seek guidance from above
To know what each of us can do to make this a Season of Love

By Steve Coleman

What Gift Would Jesus Want for Christmas

What Gift

What gift would Jesus want, what would please Him most?
Would it be fancy apparel or things of enormous cost?

Jesus gave the greatest gift by giving of His life
That we might be forgiven of sins and have eternal life
We can show our faith in Him by loving one another
Give of ourselves, by giving hope to every sister and brother

Seek out those weak in spirit help them feel the love
That Jesus has for all of us he shares it from above
Charity the pure love of Christ would please him most of all
Show that we will share His love, that we will heed His call

Faith, Hope, and Charity
Three attributes we all need
To be more like our Savior
Show the world we care


By Steve Coleman

Finally got out for a few hours today

After guiding some teachers on a bus tour at Farmington Bay this morning I got over to Kaysville Pond to see if I could get some pictures of Hooded Merganzers. In addition to the Merganzers I got some shots of Ring-necked Ducks, Common Goldeneye, Mallards, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Juncos and Great-tailed Grackles.

In all today I saw

At Farmington Bay

A dozen Bald Eagles

Northern Rough-legged Hawk

Northern Harrier

American Kestrel

Song Sparrows

White-crowned Sparrows

Greater Yellow-legs

Brewers and Red-winged Blackbirds

Gadwall

Norther Shoveler

Bufflehead

Anmerican Wigeon

Common Goldeneye

American Coot

Kaysville Ponds:

Hooded Merganzer

Mallards

Common Goldeneye

Ring-necked Ducks

Gadwall

Canada Goose

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Northern Flicker

Ring-billed Gull

Black-billed Magpie

Cowboy Wisdom

Ok Folks I think we have all had enough about snakes for now. My main purpose in posting these articles was to show that everything in this world has a place and even if we don't like some things we should respect them. "A snake in your yard is a lot better than mice in your pantry".

I used to have a boss that grew up on a sheep ranch, she could entertain people for hours with her cowboy quotes and wisdom. I like this list of cowboy wisdom someone sent me a few years ago. As you read them take time to really think about each quote, they are deep with thought and meaning as well as humor.

Enjoy

Cowboy Wisdom

There are two theories to arguin' with a woman; neither one works.

Don't worry about bitin' off more than you can chew, your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut.

Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Never drop your gun to hug a grizzly.

If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back in.

Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

Man's Responsibility to Preserve Nature and Create a Peaceful World Part IV In Defence of Snakes

I thought the article I posted here in 3 parts was interesting, I always think it is interesting to read/hear different points of view. Being a latter-day Saint I recognize that we are misunderstood and misconceived by many people and thought of as weird or fanatical. While the doctrines of the LDS church make so much sense to me, not because I was born into the faith but because I have really tested them in my life, I recognize that others can only look on in amazement that intelligent beings would accept such things. I am willing to research others points of view and have found that in every case my testimony in the restored gospel is strengthened. I don't always agree with the sub culture some life long members of our church have created especially here in Utah but that is a culture based on some beliefs and practices and not necessarily on what is the true and correct doctrines laid out in scriptures and taught over the pulpit at General Conference. I think the leadership of the church has tried to get those of us who get off track by some of this sub culture stuff back to the basic beliefs and Christlike practices we should be living.

To continue my posts in defense of snakes I have found some quotes and articles that not only talk of animals and their role in the big scheme of things but the eternal nature of everything and how respecting all of God's creations we as those created in His image can make the world a better and more peaceful place.

Part 4 is some quotes of LDS leaders over the years that I found posted of all places on the Humane Society's web site.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the latter part of the 19th century. LDS members are sometimes also referred to as Mormons (a nickname taken from the title of The Book of Mormon).

Joseph Smith on animals:
"In pitching my tent we found three massasaugas or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, 'Let them alone—don't hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.' The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or an animal of any kind during our journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger." (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 2, pp. 71-72)
"[If we] would banish from our hearts this spirit to destroy and murder, the day would soon come when the lion and the lamb would lie down together." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 71)
"John learned that God glorified Himself by saving all that His hands had made, whether beasts, fowls, fishes, or men." (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 343)
"Says one, 'I cannot believe in the salvation of beasts.' Any man who would tell you this could not be, would tell you that the revelations are not true. John heard the words of the beast giving glory to God, and understood them. God who made the beasts could understand every language spoken by them. The beasts were four of the most noble animals that filled the measure of their creation, and had been saved from other worlds, because they were perfect. They were like angels in their sphere." (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, pp. 343-344)

Brigham Young on animals:
"Field and mountains, trees and flowers, and all that fly, swim, or move upon the ground are lessons for study in the great school of our Heavenly Father, in what is before us in good books and in the greater laboratory of nature." (Journal of Discourses 9:320)
"The animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms abide the law of their Creator; the whole earth and all things pertaining to it, except man, abide the law of their creation." (Journal of Discourses 9:246)
"Learn to control yourselves and that which is immediately around you, and always keep in view that the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms—the earth and its fullness—will all, except the children of men, abide their creation—the law by which they were made, and will receive their exaltation." (Journal of Discourses 8:191)
"Traveled 19 miles. The prairie appeared black being covered with immense herds of buffalo. May 7th [1846]. I preached in camp and advised the brethren not to kill any more buffalo or other game until the meat was needed." (Brigham Young History, 1846)
"According to present appearances, next year [1868] we may expect grasshoppers to eat up nearly all our crops. But if we have provisions enough to last us another year, we can say to the grasshoppers—these creatures of God—you are welcome. I have never had a feeling to drive them from one plant in my garden; but I look upon them as the armies of the Lord." (Journal of Discourses 12:121)
"The Spirit of the Lord and the keys of the priesthood hold power over all animated beings ... In this dispensation the keys ... will be restored, and we are to return to the favor of the Lord ... cease hostility with the serpents and lay aside all enmity and treat all animals kindly." (Brigham Young History, April 26, 1846)
"Let the people be holy, and the earth under their feet will be holy. Let the people be holy, and filled with the spirit of God, and every animal and creeping thing will be filled with peace ... The more purity that exists, the less is the strife; the more kind we are to animals, the more will peace increase, and the savage nature of the brute creation will vanish away." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 203)

President Joseph F. Smith on sport hunting,
kindness to animals, and the Peaceable Kingdom:
"I think that every soul should be impressed by the sentiments that have been expressed here this evening by all who have spoken, and not less with reference to the killing of our innocent little birds, natives of our country, who live upon the vermin that are indeed enemies to the farmer and to mankind. It is not only wicked to destroy them, it is abominable, in my opinion. I think that this principle should extend, not only to the bird life, but to the life of all animals ... I never could see why a man should be imbued with a blood-thirsty desire to kill and destroy animal life. I have known men—and they still exist among us—who enjoy what is, to them, the 'sport' of hunting birds and slaying them by the hundreds, and who will come in after a day's sport boasting of how many harmless birds they have had the skill to slaughter ... I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds unless he needs them for food, and then he should not kill innocent little birds that are not intended for food for man. I think it is wicked for men to thirst in their souls to kill almost everything which possesses animal life. It is wrong." (Gospel Doctrine, Vol. 1, pp. 371-372)
"Kindness to the whole animal creation and especially to all domestic animals is not only a virtue that should be developed, but is the absolute duty of mankind ... It as an unrighteous thing to treat any animal cruelly ... It will be a blessed day when mankind shall accept and abide by the Christ-like sentiment expressed by one of the poets in the following words: 'Take not away the life you cannot give, For all things have an equal right to live.'" (Juvenile Instructor, editorial, February 1912)"When I visited, a few years ago, the Yellowstone National Park and saw in the streams and the beautiful lakes, birds swimming quite fearless of man, allowing passers-by to approach them as closely almost as tame birds, and apprehending no fear of them, and when I saw droves of beautiful deer herding along the side of the road, as fearless of the presence of men as any domestic animal, it filled my heart with a degree of peace and joy that seemed to be almost a foretaste of that period hoped for when there shall be none to hurt and none to molest in all the land, especially among all the inhabitants of Zion." (Gospel Doctrine, Vol. 1, p.

President Joseph Fielding Smith on animals having souls and being saved at the time of the resurrection:
"So we see that the Lord intends to save, not only the earth and the heavens, not only man who dwells upon the earth, but all things which he has created. The animals, the fishes of the sea, the fowls of the air, as well as man, are to be recreated, or renewed, through the resurrection, for they too are living souls." (Conference Report, October 1928, p. 100)
"Animals do have spirits and ... through the redemption made by our Savior they will come forth in the resurrection to enjoy the blessing of immortal life." (Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 2, p. 48)

President Spencer W. Kimball on sport hunting:
"In Primary and Sunday School we sang the song: 'Don't kill the little birds / That sing on bush and tree, / All thro' the summer days, / Their sweetest melody.' (Deseret Song, 1909, no. 163). ... Now, I would like to add some of my feelings concerning the unnecessary shedding of blood and destruction of life ... And not less with reference to the killing of innocent birds is the wildlife of our country that live upon the vermin that are indeed enemies to the farmer and to mankind. It is not only wicked to destroy them, it is a shame, in my opinion. I think that this principle should extend not only to the bird life but to the life of all animals ... because God gave it to them, and they were to be used only, as I understand, for food and to supply the needs of men." ("Fundamental Principles to Ponder and Live," The Ensign, November 1978, p. 45)

Michael Dunn on human stewardship responsibility to care for animals:
"God's high regard for animals has to be reflected in the fact that he brought them to earth even before mankind, that he gave mankind a special stewardship role over the animals, that he commanded a special prophet named Noah to preserve them from extinction during the great flood, and that it was an animal—a dove—that signaled the return of mankind to a cleansed and purified earth by greeting Noah with a highly symbolic olive branch." (New Genesis, p. 191)
"In Genesis we read that God's covenant was not just with mankind but with Noah and all the animals, and that it extends to our day and for perpetual generations to come. This means that the statute of limitations has not run out. We as mankind are charged with a divine mandate to provide a symbolic ark, or refuge, for the escalating threat to species. I believe that there is a much deeper connection here, a sacred three-way alliance between God, mankind, and the animal kingdom. And it continues." (New Genesis, p. 191)

Part III In Defense of Snakes

Ancient Attitudes towards the Snake
It is difficult for those of us who have grown up in a world of opposites, of good and bad, to understand how one can accept a concept embodying both; for in our world good and bad are opposing dualities. Life is good, and death is bad. We strive for life, and would just as soon do away with death. In fact, our religions attempt to do just that by informing us of "life after death." Many cannot conceive of a divinity or deity creating both life and death, embodying both; for the gods we worship, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc. all created life and good, but not death and evil.
In another time there were belief systems that were not composed of opposites, but of cycles of a never-ending spiral of life and death and life. The creator was perceived as being both creator and destroyer, and life was perceived as being made up of birth/growth/maturation/decay/death/rebirth/etc. Thus, the whole life cycle was accepted. And the serpent symbol was part of the whole cycle. For the snake was a symbol of life: shedding its skin, immortality, rebirth; and it was a symbol of death: one bite of a cobra (?) could kill in fifteen minutes. Yet, it was not hated because of the negative aspect. It was revered as a symbol of reality: that which is. We are born, we grow, we reach maturation, we decay, we die. Of course, ancient peoples, just like us, desired immortality, so the idea of rebirth is an ancient one. It can be seen in the vegetative cycle as well: seedling (birth), sprouting and growing (growth), full bloom (maturation), decay (decay), rotting (death); then out of the rotted matter a seed and birth once again as seedling. So the snake was neither "good" nor "evil" in our sense. It was a symbol of the life process.
Many snakes were female. Tiamat of Babylon was a female snake or dragon who "was recorded as the first divine being. ... [She] originally possessed the Tablets of Destiny" (Stone 1976, 200). The Sumerian goddess Nidaba was sometimes depicted as a snake and was "the first patron deity of writing" (Stone 1976, 199). Ninlil had the tail of a snake and was said "to have brought the gift of agriculture and thus civilization to Her people" (199). Inanna was "the Divine Mother who reveals the laws. Nina, another form of the name Inanna, ... was esteemed as an oracular deity and an interpreter of dreams" (199). Ishtar of Babylon, later than the deities described above, was depicted as a female holding a staff "around which coiled two snakes" (200), and Ishtar is called "Lady of Vision of Kisurru" and "She who Directs the Oracles" and "Prophetess of Kua" (200). In Egypt the Cobra Goddess was Ua Zit. "We later see Her as the uraeus cobra worn upon the foreheads of other deities and Egyptian royalty. The cobra was known as the Eye, uzait, a symbol of mystic insight and wisdom, ... always written in the female form" (201). In Crete, one of the largest of the Greek Islands, female goddess statues from 1600 BCE stand holding snakes in their hands. And finally, in later times, e.g. 500 BCE, in Greece, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and of Civilization, was always in the form of a female statue accompanied by her snake, which had its own building on the Acropolis near her Parthenon (temple). Women and snakes were compared as divine and eternal, because snakes shed their skin, seeming to be "reborn" and women menstruated every month, shedding their blood.
So the snake is connected to wisdom and civilization and goddesses as positive. In addition, the snake is connected with divine prophesy. Even in today's dictionaries a pythoness is described as a prophetess or witch.
The reason a snake may be depicted as prophetic was described by Stone. Supposedly snakes licked Cassandra the prophetess' ears when she was a baby. Snakes were kept at the temples of the Goddesses and at the temple at Delphi, supposedly providing the priestesses/prophetesses--women--with prophetic insight and divine counsel, sought after and used by politicians even in Greek times. The reason snakes might be the means to prophetic vision is that the venom of certain poisonous snakes, if one is made immune to it, can provide a person, when bitten, with similar experiences provided by mind-altering drugs like LSD. Thus, it is possible that "mind-expanding powers" were perceived by the priestesses who prophesied. Thus the snake may have been a real link to certain kinds of altered states and experiences.
In other myths the serpent is a living phallus created by the Goddess for her own pleasure. Thus the serpent can be perceived as a symbol of sexual pleasure for women. The snake was also depicted in the myth of Asclepios the healer as a symbol of healing.
Two additional lines of thought regarding snakes are also revealing as to the multifaceted nature of snake-serpent symbolism. In England the ley line philosophy has been described. In English tales and legends, in Chinese beliefs, and supposedly actual experience, it is thought that there are serpentine-like underground lines of some kind of magnetic energy which are found across the earth. These are called ley lines and supposedly were known by ancient peoples as underground currents that converged at holy places, places where, for example, at some point the energy was helpful to women for easier childbirth, where even animals would go for the same thing (see Hitching 1976). There were also human-made mounds in England, "re-shaped, probably for religious reasons, or for some use in that religion, perhaps for storing or controlling some sort of static electrical current, in a similar way that stone circles may have been used. One can feel the current sometimes at sacred sites and churches, variously described as a tingling sensation in the fingers, in the spine or back of the neck. Or it can be a sense of great peace, or just a strange feeling about a place. Whatever this energy really is, it is very strong when concentrated--strong enough, so legend has it, that when the dragon's blood is spilled--or when something goes wrong with the energy--no grass will grow on the site. This is said to have happened at Dragon Hill...." (Hoult 1987, 22). Simarly, according to Walker, The "Ouroboros (snake) was still pictured under the earth in certain European areas, and some people claimed to be able to feel his slow movements through their feet when they stood in the ancient shrines" (909)--very reminiscent of the dragon energy described by Hoult. Some traditions identified the Great Serpent as a male "with the Earth's intestines. ... Serpents understood how to restore life to the dead, according to the myths of Crete..." (907). Furthermore, the Anglo-Saxon word 'drakan,' according to Hoult, "is probably a Greek derivative, either from 'draco' meaning a dragon or large snake, or from the verb 'derkein,' which means to see clearly. Dragons were credited with clear sight, wisdom and the ability to foretell the future, the same characteristics that the Mediterranean and Near Eastern snake deities possessed!
Finally, there is an interesting connection between Eve and the serpent, one not told in the Christian bible. The name Eve means "Mother of All Living." The name YHWH, which supposedly stands for Yahweh, actually when broken down is Y (for "I") and HWH, which when translated into Latin letters, forms E-V-E (Walker, 288-9)! In addition, HWH means both "life" and woman." In the Gnostic Scriptures "life" is Hawwa. According to Walker there is an Aramaic pun in the Gnostic accounts of Eve identifying "Eve, the Teacher, and the Serpent: Hawah, Mother of All Living; hawa, to instruct; and hewya, Serpent. Eve's name in Arabic still combines the idea of "life" (hayyat) with the name of the serpent (Hayyat)" (904). Thus, we come full circle. The serpent, wisdom, and the female were all aspects of deity in Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, and Greek religion (among others). Eve represents the same: female, primordial deity, wise one, and serpent!
In fact, it may be that Eve, the Minoan Snake goddess (or priestess?) holding a snake in each hand, and the Serpent Holder constellation (Asklepios) represent the same deity. It could be, too, that Eve and Hera are related. The chapter which describes the serpent holder details such possible connections.
So in some accounts the serpent and the female deity are the same. In others she is accompanied by the serpent. In still others the serpent is the phallus made for her pleasure. However, the serpent in all the legends has to do with life. In most it also has to do with wisdom, rebirth, woman, and in some legends is symbolizes healing. Thus, while the snake can indeed be a symbol of death because of the poison venom that some snakes possess, in most pre-Christian legends, the snake, or dragon, is perceived as something quite positive, or for some peoples, both positive and negative. "It is notable that in the whole world, it is only in the areas which have been converted by the Christian church that both the serpent and the dragon have jointly come to signify evil. Everywhere else (including the Old Testament) they are either beneficial, or embody in their powers both good and evil, or potentially are capable of either" (Hitching 1976, 253).
The serpent, finally, is symbolized as the spiral, as a circle, as a conjoining of female and male. The snake truly symbolizes many things to many peoples down through the millenia.

{Part II In Defense of Snakes

Snakes in Other Worlds Today

Other cultures have a different attitude toward snakes--other cultures of people in countries still with large agricultural populations. In many cultures the snake is sacred and revered for its amazing powers of survival. It represents to many people a symbol of eternal life, because it can shed its skin and is perceived to be "reborn." In Malaysia there are sacred vipers in the temples which are docile, even though poisonous, and the worshipers are not afraid of them. They are a "living talisman of good luck." And many human beings admire them--"their sinuous form, limbless gliding movement;" they are fast and can disappear into very small crevices. They also represent eternal life.
In some areas egg-eating snakes have been perceived as symbolic of lunar eclipses.
In India, for example, many people have a very different relationship to the concept 'snake.' In India a hooded Cobra has been a symbol of fertility.
In India 20,000 visit a small village yearly to pay homage to the cobras which they worship and honor. The cobras are very beneficial to these human beings, controlling rats and mice in rice fields. In one of the ceremonies women offer "camphor and sacred dyes" to the cobras as signs of respect. The cobras are then afterwards taken back to their dens in the fields. The people know the snakes can be deadly. But rather than fear and loathing, they have a cautious admiration of them. Caution and admiration linked together form a much healthier view of this animal, "elegant in design," "often beautiful," and with a "unique place in the natural world." In China the dragon, a snake-like symbol, signifies fertility and wisdom--ancient ideas.
In our time in Southeast Asia many pythons have been killed for their skins, which were used for bags, boots, and belts. As a result the rodent population is exploding, destroying stored grain and spreading disease. In other areas of the world, humans are pushing snakes from their natural habitats as they take over with human habitation, thus causing humans and snakes to come into contact more, thereby increasing the danger to humans.
All this information makes one aware of the bias that we in the Western world have toward snakes in general. It makes us aware that ours is not the only attitude, certainly not an instinctive one. It makes us aware that, since we do have a visceral physical reaction to snakes, we need to re-educate not only our minds, but also our feelings and emotions about snakes. We need to spend time with them to replace fear with caution and admiration, "cautious admiration." And as one looks at the attitudes of people from other times as well as other areas of the present-day world, one becomes even more aware of how widespread attitudes very different from our own have been. It is to these times that we now turn, for they form the background and context against which we may view the snakes of the Night Sky in a new, and therefore, ancient light: the night sky of the goddess.

In Deffense of Snakes Part I

Birds are my passion, they always have been. I love the varieties they come in and the fact that they can fly is something to really envy. The fact is though that I have always been intrigued by all animals, snakes included. I have not had snakes as pets because of Nery's deathly fear of them and because everyone around me either hates them or are afraid of them. This all changed a few months ago when Nery gave her blessing to allow Dave to house his snakes in one of our empty bedrooms. Since that time she also gave her blessing for Dave to give me the 2 ball pythons for my birthday, this hasn't changed how she feels about snakes but she has allowed them in the house.

I have talked to several people who have made comments like "if I see a snake in my yard I kill it" this is not only sad it is stupid. Snakes eat rodents, rodents get into our stuff and spread desease. I came across an article in defence of snakes and a little history about snakes in the world that I will post here in sections so it won't be too much to read all at once. I will finish with some quotes from a few LDS leaders including Joseph Smith regarding respect for animals as.

Here is the first installment...

In Defense of Snakes, Serpents,
and Other Lizard Types
by Lana Rings
Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas

Snakes figure prominently in the Night Sky. Draco the dragon is today almost at the hub of the zenith, and was actually there 5000 years ago. The Serpent Holder is a huge constellation, a human being holding a long snake in each hand and representing healing. The Hydra is a long water snake--one of the longest constellations, upon whose back a cauldron and a raven rest. In addition, many Greek myths informing the Greek constellation stories deal with snakes and serpents and sea monsters as positive and negative images.
Before Olympian Greeks put their mythology up into the existing constellations of the night sky, thus erasing older tales of the same constellations, snakes were perceived differently. They disgust us in the United States and Europe. Today we hate them. Other peoples didn't and don't.
Other animals have also been maligned in later times, as will be shown when we wend our way through their constellations. Still others were not maligned. Yet the snake is the most significant animal, because it was an important animal in the pre-Greek, pre-Judeochristian lives and religions of the Near East--and because it is perhaps the most misunderstood. As we look into the constellations that seem to form the sky of the goddess, the snake will return several times. Other animals will be addressed just as well, though, for they, too, have their goddess stories. It will be against this background that we will then be able to look up into the night sky and view the constellations. But in defense of the poor snake, we need at least several pages.


Snakes in the Western World Today

The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed...." Genesis 3:14-15.
Scholars annotating this 1973 version of the Oxford Bible comment: "The curse contains an old explanation of why the serpent crawls rather than walks and why men are instintively hostile to it" (my italics) [p.5].
One might think that the loathing and disgust with which many people react to snakes is an emotional reaction, even a natural reaction to predators so different-looking from ourselves. Even sophisticated scholars think we are "instinctively hostile" to the snake, based on the quote above. Yet, it is our contention that the origin of our loathing comes from religious sources--even for those of us who do not consider ourselves religious anymore. The bad rap that snakes have gotten is not due to any innate disgust we have for snakes, for such a disgust has not existed at all times among people, as we shall see, nor is it even universal across cultures today, as we shall also see. It is a cultural phenomenon, tightly linked to our traditional ideas of good and evil, light and dark, and body and spirit.
Before we had such dualistic, opposing concepts, snakes were perceived differently. Snakes were considered part of the holiest of the holy. It is for that very reason that the proponents of the later religions that came into the lands of the snake-revering peoples had to make the snake so evil. If they hadn't suppressed the reverence for the snake with a loathing of it--and with force over centuries, their religions could not have taken hold and ultimately wiped out much of what was those older religions.
In the United States if you merely mention snakes to people, they often react with disgust and cringing. Even in rattlesnake roundups in the mid- to southwest, snakes are treated with contempt and unnecessary kicking. In Oklahoma they are hunted and caught, then left without food or water for a month or more, left weakened and confused in an alien world. Our loathing of snakes is not restricted to religion, although that is where it may have begun. We have no respect for snakes, nor do we understand anything about them or want to learn about them.
Recently, attitudes have begun changing. Experts in zoos, especially wanting to help people re-establish ties with nature that have been broken through our lives in the cities and our hierarchical attitude towards it ("we are better than animals and nature") in an effort to regain a respect for our environment and ecological systems, have begun showing snakes to children and adults and instituting educational programs about them, among other animals. They are teaching that snakes are not loathsome, disgusting, or evil, and allow children and adults to pet and handle them as well. Even public television has been involved in educating people about snakes. Yet, by and large, many people still cringe at the thought of snakes.
The Public Broadcasting System released a special on "The Serpent," debunking some attitudes held towards snakes and informing the public of their lives, maintaining that we fear snakes, and that that fear is due to ignorance and misunderstanding about them. Snakes live the world over, from "jungles to desert," "from trees to the sea." Most of them are "shy and unaggressive." Most are non-poisonous. True, they are predators, but so are human beings! They are powerful predators, and can kill their prey with a single bite. Some of the pythons have a powerful grip and indeed cause the human imagination to run wild. But snakes are also in danger from all kinds of predators themselves.
Their smell is on their forked tongue; thus, they stick it out to detect smells. Pythons can detect body heat on mammals and birds and thus tell where they are because they can "see" infrared, i.e., they have a sense that detects infrared. Their heads and jaws are expandable so that they can take in a fairly large meal and perform "feats of swallowing." In their bones snakes can detect vibration. But they have no ears.
They cannot see details well, so the movement of several young animals adjacent to each other might be perceived by a snake as the movement of one large animal, causing concern and fear in the snake. And snakes usually do not want to attack humans. They do not have endless supplies of venom and need to use it on their prey for food, so they will use it in self-defense against humans or other animals as a last resort, after they have tried their innate methods of warning, consisting of either hissing, rattling, showing their hood, or rubbing their scales together.
No snakes hunt humans, and they warn before they bite. In fact, no snakes show malice towards us. There is only one snake that is venomous and extremely aggressive (that would be the Black Mamba of Africa) this is my comment sc.

Hunting in the night

After 3 weeks of fasting I guess my female python decided it was time to eat. I went downstairs to check on the snakes before going to work. As I entered their room this is what I saw. Somehow she was able to squeeze out from under 30 pounds of weight holding the screen lid on her aquarium and went hunting. It was obvious by the pose she was striking that she meant business. I placed her in the feeding cage and put one of the juvenile African Soft-furred rats in with her. She struck and killed it immediately and swallowed it down, later in the day I fed her a mouse which she wasted no time devouring. I also invested in a locking screened lid for her aquarium so she will not be having anymore late night escapades.

Getting Started With Birding

When I got my first Field Guide Thanks to Frank Clawson my brother in law and began keeping my Life List, I started with Waterfowl. The main reason is they are very easy to ID, they also come in several species and and assorted sizes and colors so they are pretty to look at. Waterfowl include Ducks, Geese and Swans. The most common Geese in Utah are Canada Geese, we also get Snow Geese, Ross's Geese and several variations of Canada Geese like the much smaller Cackling Goose. Ducks are the fun ones, most common are Northern Pintails, Northern Shovlers, Gadwalls, and of course Mallards. Swans we get Tundra Swans, a few Trumpeter Swans and occasionally a sub species of the Tundra called a Bewick's Swan. In the hopes that I might spark some interest in some of you to take up birding I have posted a new album on our Picasa Web Albums of Waterfowl. I hope you will take a look and see the beautiful variety of Waterfowl we have in our own back yard. Of course if your interest is piqued you can set up a tour with me, I will be happy to take you out and get you started on your life list.

Enjoy

Steve

Some new things

I have added some pictures to our Web Albums, including some old family pictures of Nery's mom, brother Jun jun and Nery. I have also added some pictures to some of the other albums so if you haven't looked at them for a while take a peek. I have also added a new item, some of my favorite web links.
I will be posting again soon,
Steve

Remember I said I am not so dumb, well here is proof

Occasionally I just need to get something off my chest, such was the case the other day with my rant about people's occasional stupidity around automobiles. I will try to keep my rants to a minimum.

On a happier note Thursday November 13th was my birthday. Featured in the pictures above is part of my birthday present from my son in law Dave. He gave me not one but two Ball Pythons. I am so excited, not only did he give me these two which are a breeding pair but he got a male Het. Lavender Albino male and a female is on the way that he will eventually breed. What that means is that not only did I get my Ball python but we will have 4 Ball Pythons, two breeding pairs and we will be breeding them.
I know that there are those of you shaking your heads asking why, why would anyone want a snake? And I know that no matter what good Dave or I could say about snakes and how beautiful they are it would never change your minds, so you will just have to accept that to us they are beautiful and you can continue to wonder why.
Snakes are misunderstood and maligned, it probably started with Lucifer being described in the bible as a serpent, and another reason is that several species of snakes are venomous so people are scared that any snake they see could be venomous. The other thing is that they don't have arms or legs and they slither, whatever the reason they are unfairly misjudged. Snakes are so important to the ecosystem by removing rodents that spread disease and ruin food supplies. I often hear people talk of seeing a snake in their yard and how they killed it. Very stupid thing to do, if there are snakes present it must be because there is a food source such at rats or mice. Snakes are not likely to enter your home in fact they would rather never be seen by humans. The rats and mice on the other hand will enter our homes, garages, sheds and other buildings and either destroy things or spread disease. Snakes don't spread disease they won't get into our food supplies or destroy things they just eat the rodents and then hide. We should all learn to respect snakes even if you can't learn to like them.

Thanks Dave and thanks to everyone for making my birthday so nice. In addition To the snakes, Thursday I got a wonderful call from Kristan and Gerhard in Germany, it was so good to hear from them, then Nery and I went out to dinner with my mom and then Friday Spencer and Rachel, Dave and Catie and Nery and I went to the temple then back to our house for dinner. It has been a great birthday I enjoyed spending time with my family both in person and on the phone. I love you all. Thank you!!!

A couple of pet peeves

I have a few pet peeves that really get on my nerves, one is people who are too lazy to return grocery carts to the store or at least to the cart stalls provided. It always seems to be the people who I would think that would get the most upset if a runaway cart hit their car that commit this offence. People who drive BMW's , Lexus, Suburbans etc. So to those who are too lazy or just discourteous please return the cart to the cart stall show a little consideration for others.

Well that off my chest I want to comment on one that hit close to home several times this last week. Why do people turn their brains off when they get in or around automobiles. The etiquette on the road for drivers, bicyclers, and pedestrians seems to be getting worse all the time. Last week Nery and I were coming west on 2600 so in Woods Cross and the light just before you go under the overpass turned green when we were still a good 30 yards from the intersection. I was keeping my eye on the car sitting in the left turn lane (a habit I have developed since I started riding my motorcycle) and could tell the lady in the "Suburban" was going to do something stupid. She was yakking on her cell phone and just as we entered the intersection she decided to run the red light. Fortunately I was going slow and like I said felt like she would do something stupid, I hit my breaks and horn at the same time. She looked at me like I was crazy but she did stop. This crazy soccer mom in addition to talking on the phone had several children in the car with her. I mouthed to her "get off your stupid phone and drive your car". Well that was the first incident. Later that afternoon we were driving on Orchard Drive and I saw a lady walking down the side walk, without even looking up she stepped off the curb and into the busy traffic on orchard drive. Again I had to hit my brakes to avoid hitting her. I honked and she still didn't even look up. What is the matter with people? The best one thought happened Wednesday morning as Nery and I were pulling into work. We were in the left turn lane on North Temple waiting for the light to change so we could turn onto 1950 west and into work. As the light changed this guy on a bicycle decided to cross North Temple against the light, for those of you not familiar with this road it is very busy and the speed limit is 40 mph which means most people probably drive 50 mph. The cyclist made it across the eastbound lanes because we all saw it coming. the guy in the left westbound lane had to hit his brakes not to hit the cyclist but the guy driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee was about 50 yards up the street when the light changed and was going full blast and since there was a car in the left lane, could not see the idiot on the bike. As the cyclist passed the guy in the left lane and gave him a smart alack wave the Cherokee plowed through the intersection and right into the cyclist. The bike flew down the street and the cyclist flew in the air, smashed into the windshield and up over the jeep a good 10 to 12 feet in the air and smashed down on the asphalt. It was a surreal experience all of us waiting at the intersection could see what was about to happen but none of us could do anything about it. The good news is that he survived with several broken bones and a concussion but will be ok. This was 110% the cyclist fault but I'm sure that doesn't make the driver of the car that hit him feel much better.

People we need to use our heads. Cars can kill, every time we get behind the wheel we need to keep that foremost in our minds. When we are walking across a street remember stop, look and listen then when it is all clear go. Even if you have the right of way don't step in front of a moving car that is not a fight you are going to win. Bicyclist have gotten too cocky you are required to follow the same laws that apply to cars you need to stop at stop signs and red lights but more and more I see bikes plow through intersection without even slowing down.

There I got it off my chest I don't know if it will do any good but I feel better. Now a word to my fellow motorcyclists. Most motorcycles I see abide the traffic laws, there are a few though mostly those who ride bullet bikes that feel more of a need to show off, please knock it off, you make drivers hate us all. Again a fight between a car and a motorcycle the motorcycle's going to loose.

Drive safe everybody

New Album on our Web Albums, Pictures from the Philippines

I have added a new album to our web album, Pictures from when we lived in the Philippines. I will continue to add to this album. http://picasaweb.google.com/stevecoleman1155

Steve's Birdn' Blog

I have created a new blog to report bird sightings and shows my life list. I will post bird sightings and pictures. the address is http://stevesbirdnblog.blogspot.com

I have been tagged

1. I read the entire World Book Encyclopedia in the bathroom. It took a couple of years, I started out looking up something about animals for one of the kids when you guys were in elementary school and ended up reading the entire A volume. I next took out the B volume to read about birds and read all of the B volume and it went from there.

2. When we were kids my brother Ken and I used to come up with all kinds of ways to play fight. We started with hanger fights, they were painful and then we heard about a kid that got hit with a hanger in the corner of his eye and tore it so we stopped fighting with hangers and kept a bowl of pennies in our room and got in some crazy penny fights. We also used to play chicken in our front yard with ski poles. We would start out with our legs spread as far apart as we could get them and then throw the ski poles between each others legs until our feet were almost together (what were we thinking). Ken was once in our backyard and shot an arrow in the air, I was laying on the grass in the front yard and it came down ans hit me in the leg, I still have the scar. He also through a pair of scissors at me while I was running across the room and stuck them in my foot, I have that scar too. This was all in fun, it's a good thing we got along.

3. I like Durian, most of you probably have not even heard of it, well google it for additional info. It is known by some as the king of fruits and others as the fruit that smells like hell and tastes like heaven. It is illegal to take a Durian on an airplane and in some countries they are banned from hotels. The the smell is like dirty diapers the taste is like a mix of carmel and garlic which doesn't sound all that good but oddly it is. It could also be used as a weapon since it is a large fruit about the size of a coconut with the husk and just as hard but it also has large spikes all over it. Fear Factor used to have Durian and and another Filipino delicacy balut on the show as something that was supposed to be gross and disgusting. Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel who will eat the most disgusting things you can imagine like bugs, spiders and any internal organ from any animal, cannot handle Durian "what a wimp". Imagine a fruit about the size of a coconut just as hard and with inch long spikes all over it the smell when you open it could clear a room, in fact it is recommended that Durian should always be opened outside, the meat is a yellowish goo the consistency of custard. But all that said it is quite good. I especially like Durian ice cream. Don't knock it till you try it.

4. As far as I know I am the only American to drive a Tricycle for fare in the Philippines. It was one of the funnest jobs I ever had.

5. My favorite James Bond movie is Live and Let Die. It came out when I was in high school and I fell in love with Jane Seymour, up to that time I thought was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Of course that was before I met Nery

6. Probably one of the worst things I have ever done was; while we were staying with friends in California for a couple of days on our way to the Philippines we were waiting for Sunday dinner. Our host was taking forever to get dinner cooked and she was making "Chop Suey" that had ground beef in it "yuck". Spencer was about six and came up to me and said he was hungry and wanted to know when we could eat. I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk so he and I walked about a half mile down the road to a McDonald's and and ate Big Macs. This started a tradition that went on the entire time we lived in the Philippines. Every Sunday after church Spencer and I would sneak off to a hamburger joint in Butuan and and have a hamburger.

7. I decided to add this a bit late. When I was on my mission in the Philippines I used to eat a Balut every Monday morning before playing basketball. There is a series of pictures above showing a Balut. It is a Duck egg that is cooked and eaten just about 3 days before it would hatch. They are quite disgusting but a delicacy in the Philippines. I have tried several times since my mission to get one down but I can no longer eat them. I guess I don't have anyone to impress anymore.

Not nearly as comical or interesting as yours Catie but there you go.

I am dumb but not so dumb

For years I have tried to convince Nery that I needed to have a snake, I would really like to have a Ball Python, but for years I have been told that we have enough pets, once she said ok but if you get a snake I won't be here anymore. I have tried so many ways to win her over to the idea that a snake would be the perfect pet but I have found that not only her but people who don't like snakes just can't see the attraction. Personally I think snakes get a bum rap, they are really beautiful animals, they do a lot for us humans that we just don't appreciate, like keeping rodents that stink and spread disease under control. Snakes don't make any noise, they don't mess up the house, they don't stink, etc. but all to no avail. Then a little over a month ago Dave, Catie's husband came to me and asked ,if he got a snake would he be able to keep it here at our house. I almost passed out with excitement at the prospect of geting a snake, somehow thinking that if it were Dave's Nery just might agree. And I knew this was not a decision that would be mine to make, because in our house I am the head but Nery is definitely the neck that turns the head. I told him he would need to ask Nery, so he did ask Nery and she agreed so fast my jaw must have dropped to the floor. Well now we not only have one snake but four. So you see I may be dumb but I am not so dumb and Nery as the neck is still in charge. Everyone is happy!!!

Now if I can convince Dave that he needs a Ball Python everthing will be perfect.

Love at first sight

About 32 years ago I was at the airport in Bacolod Philippines and saw this petite Filipino beauty walk across the tarmac, there was something about her that not only attracted me physically but she had an aura about her the struck me as well. I looked at her and deep inside I knew this girl would be my wife. 2 years later I returned to the Philippines and we were married. And just like the song from the sixties "I love you more today than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow", I do. Nery is my whole life, she puts up with all my crap and still loves me. She has been a great mom to our children, and is now a wonderful grandma. Thanks for everything, I love you!!!

Teban

New Life Bird

Birders are always on the look out for a new lifer or life bird, a bird that is new to their life list. As I have added more and more life birds to my list they become harder to find. I watch the bird list serves for birds that have been spotted that I have never seen in the field and sometimes take a whole day traveling to find a bird that has been reported. Last year
Frank and I took a day off work to drive out to Fish Springs in the west desert to see a Painted Bunting, and we did see it.

Well last Friday I found a new life bird for Utah. Though I have seen this bird before down in Arizona, this was the first time I had seen it in Utah. The bird was the Eurasian Collared Dove. There were 30 or more in the big tree at the gate of Farmington Bay. It is always a thrill to get a new bird on my list. My target bird for this winter is the Evening Grosbeak, a bird that has eluded me for many years.

My Hook Bird The Western Kingbird

A few years ago I was asked to write a short piece for the SL Tribune to add to an article from several birders about their "Hook Bird" a hook bird is the bird that first got a person interested in Birding as a hobby. Birding is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world and one that I am hooked on. People of all ages and backgrounds are becoming fascinated with birds and keep a life list of the birds they see.

Here is my "Hook Bird" story:

When I was about 10 or 11 years old I got a BB gun for my birthday. Back in those days we would take our BB guns down to the cemetery in Centerville where I grew up and shoot sparrows. One day the next summer I was in my backyard and and a bird we called a yellow breasted robin landed on the telephone wire. I raised my BB gun and shot it. The bird fell to the ground but did not die. I picked it up and looked at it and all the sudden felt very sorry for what I had done. I remembered an episode of the Andy Griffith show where Opie shot a mother bird and left a nest full of babies crying for food. Opie took the babies in and fed them and raised them until they were grown and turned them loose. I took this bird in and put it in a box and nursed it for a few days until it was strong enough and took it out and let it go. The bird hung around our yard the rest of the summer and became my friend. From that time on I have had a soft spot for birds and used my BB gun for shooting cans and not birds.

A few years later my brother Ken and I raised pigeons and had a great time learning about birds and their habits. I also liked going down to Farmington Bay Bird Refuge and watching the birds.

Many years later my brother in law Frank Clawson gave me my first bird field guide and I started keeping a life list. I have been passionate about birds ever since. Once I learned to identify birds in the field I learned that my "Yellow-breasted Robin" was actually a Western Kingbird, so my hook bird is the Western Kingbird.

Belle

Belle came to us in May. Our little beloved Pug Cece was failing fast. Cece was 12 years old and had been a very important member of our family. It was so sad to watch her slipping, she had been blind for a couple of years and had been deaf for several months. For the last week or so she had dementia, she could no longer find her way around and she didn't seem to know where she was.

Cece loved to lay on the grass or on the front porch and soak in the sun. We had taken her out and she was laying on the front porch so Nery and I left the front door opened so we could hear her if she whined and we went in the kitchen to eat dinner. While we were eating this little black and white Papillon puppy came running in the kitchen and ran around our feet. I picked her up and ran outside. surely and expensive puppy like a Papillon wouldn't be too far from it's owner. I went up and down our street and around the block but no one knew who this puppy belonged to. We put up a flyer in the neighborhood market and posted a found puppy add on the local news lost and found, we contacted vet offices and took her to our vet and had her scanned for a micro chip, but nothing. We called the animal shelter and asked if anyone had called looking for their Papillon puppy, I checked with the Humane Society but know one ever called.

After 2 months of searching with no luck finding her owner we decided to adopt her our selves.

Cece passed away just 4 days after Belle came to live with us. Nery calls her our puppy from heaven, although sometimes she seems more like a puppy from somewhere else. She is a rascal and keeps us on our toes. We have had a Lab, 2 Bassett Hounds and our Pug Cece but Belle is the most "dog" of any dog we have owned. She loves bones and loves to bury them and then dig them up and chew them, she has the energy of 10 dogs, she loves to play with the neighbor's dogs one is a Belgian Malinois (Mac), the other is a Mastiff mix (Max), both much, much bigger than her and she literally runs circles around them. The Malinois tires of her very quickly but she has become good friends with the Mastiff mix.

We love Belle, her coming to stay with us has eased the pain of loosing Cece and she keeps us very entertained.

Video of Lisa's Visit

Nery's sister Liza and her two sons McSteven and Mcwynn visited us from Fukuoka Japan in August. It was so nice to see her again and to spend time with them. We went to Las Vegas, Bryce and Zions National Parks and several places around Salt Lake. The boys were able to attend school at Woods Cross Elementary and made a lot of new friends, they were very popular with the kids from school. This is a slideshow of some of the things we did.

West Virginia Hot Dogs

My Mother's family came from West Virgina. As a kid I loved get togethers with the Casdorph's, (my mom's family). I used to love to listen to my aunts and uncles tell stories with their West Virgina southern accent. For some reason I have always thought funny things sounded funnier and stories are more interesting when told with a southern accent.

Two foods that were family regulars when I was growing up were, Barbeque Pulled Pork sandwiches with coleslaw on the sandwich not on the side and "West Virgina Hot Dogs" with beanless chile and cole slaw on the dog not on the side. Pulled pork is still a family favorite, my mom still fixes it for just about ever family get together as does my sister and Nery and I. I have created my own version by putting a rub on the pork and letting it sit overnight or for at least 3 hours and then I slow cook it in a Dutch Oven. It is wonderful and if you have never put cole slaw on your pulled pork or sloppy joes you are really missing a treat, so let your western inhabitions go and put the slaw on the sandwich, you will be glad you did.

After all these years we still have pulled pork several times a year, it has become a favorite even 4 generations after my grand parents have gone to watch over us. But for some reason West virgina Hot Dogs have kind of been forgotten. Well last week I was visiting my parents and my mom was telling me how she had been trying to get some of their friends together to have West Virgina Hot Dogs but could not get them excited enough about it to commit. I said why don't we get all of our extended family together and have a family home evening and have West Virgina Hot Dogs. That was Friday, on Monday evening we all met at our house, and for the first time since I was a kid the whole family got together and the first time in 15 years for me we had West Virgina Hot Dogs.

Some of our western raised relatives were quite leary of putting cole slaw on a chili dog but we were able to convince most to try it. They were all surprised at how good they were. It was great for me and brought back memories of a simpler time as a child being amused by my West Virgina relatives accent and stories and eating good old fashioned West Virginia Hot Dogs with chili and coleslaw.

I am grateful to Grandma and Grandpa Casdorph for making the pilgrimage to Salt Lake about 60 years ago. I am grateful for my heritage from both the Coleman's and the Casdorph's. My middle name by the way is Casdorph, something that was a source for teasing by my friends and embarasment to mewhen I was a kid but a name I am very proud to carry now.

West Virgina Hot Dogs:
Mom says the dogs should be boiled, I prefer mine grilled, I suppose it's just a matter of prefrence. Take a hot dog bun and garnish it with what you like, mustard, ketchup, relish onions. Place the dog on the bun and spoon a generous spoonful of beanless chile over the dog then a healthy spoonful of cole slaw and enjoy.

West Virginia Hotdog Chili
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup shortening
2 TBSP. onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
5 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 TBSP. paprika
2 1/2 TBSP. chili powder
1 1/2 TBSP. black pepper
1 TBSP. cayenne pepper (can use 1/2 TBSP. - 2 TBSP.)
2 TBSP. salt
2 1/2 TBSP. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 - 1 cup cracker meal DIRECTIONS:
Saute meat, garlic and onions till browned
Add spices, stir well
Add about a quart of water and cook over low heat for 3-4 hours
Add a little water occasionally to keep from sticking
When chili is cooked, remove from heat and add 1/2 to 1 cup of cracker meal & stir well
Another trick that you can do is place the pot in the bottom of the kitchen sink and run an electric hand mixer around briefly - this makes for a finer ground meat texture & is closer to the "real thing"
After the first batch you will learn to vary (slightly) the blend of peppers and cumin...the cinnamon is critical but your chili should never have a cinnamon taste.
This chili freezes well and you may cut the recipe in half, but NO more!

My Cole Slaw Dressing:
1 cup of Miracle Whip, 1 cup of Mayonaise,
2 or 3 Tbl spoons of cider vinegar
2 or 3 Tbl spoons of sugar
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of paprika
1 onion finely chopped.

Place the dressing over a head of chopped cabbage and 3 or 4 chopped carrots and mix well. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and serve cold.

Try it on the dogs you will love the West Virgina Hot Dogs

A lesson I learned a few years ago

See The Whole Picture

A way to prove we’re not so wise
Is to be too quick to criticize
I for one need to change my thoughts
When I see something that seems off
At first glance it may seem wrong
Often a closer look reveals it does belong.

While driving in the park one day
A van was parked in the driveway
Great I said, “What fool parked there”
From the other side came a man pushing his wife in a wheelchair
He shouted I’m sorry am I in your way
In a sickened voice I said, “No you’re ok”

Quick to judge the situation
I was wrong in my perception
Things aren’t always what they appear
A closer look reveals my vision is unclear
Be slow to criticize and think before I speak
And for the good in others seek
If I do this I might find
An opportunity to help another and be kind

Occasionally I’m the one who needs the patience of my peers
I know how it feels to hear their jeers
“We don’t know what others are going through
How would you feel if it happened to you”?

Be slow to judge and always be fair
See the whole picture and show I care
Hold my tongue and be patient
Usually the inconvenience is insignificant

The Eagle

Eagle

Courage, integrity and success
Achieve your goals, do your best
These are the qualities of the Eagle
King of birds majestic and regal

The symbol of our great nation
And how we achieved our envied station
To be an eagle is to recognize the potential you possess
To achieve greatness in your live and never settle for less

An Eagle knows he has a mission that only he can fill
To serve the world around him to use his talents and skill
He will never let anyone or anything keep him from his goal
He has a desire to achieve deep within his soul

The eagle knows from whence he came that he is of royal birth
Even if he strays for a while he recognizes his worth
You are an Eagle don’t ever let anyone lead you astray
Learn to fly with eagles every single day

If you become discouraged you’ll have the strength to soar
If you stand for your values, stick to your goals and learn to endure
Stretch your wings and fly, achieve your greatest desires
Using your eagle qualities is what it requires

Steve Coleman
10/31/01

Eagle Slideshow

The Marsh

The Marsh

From my childhood I’ve loved the marsh and all its bountiful fare
The sights and sounds of plants and animals has always drawn me there
The musty smell of the swamp brings back fond memories
Of walking through the marsh and enjoying it’s variety
Cattails, bulrushes, feathery grass and all the sounds I heard
But most of all, the thing I love is to see the beautiful birds
I used to see ducks and geese that’s all I thought there were
But as I paid attention I learned there is so much more
As I take the time to identify the birds I see
Their diversity and beauty have opened a whole new world for me
Now I see mallards, pintails, green wing, blue wing, and cinnamon teal
The pretty little ruddy duck, grebes, Canada Geese, and mergansers, words can’t express how good it makes me feel
I see avocets, stilts, egrets, ibis, and godwits
Killdeer, herons, phalaropes, and willets
It’s not just birds, my eyes are opened my life is much more full
I see things I never saw before not only in birds but also in people
I don’t just see birds or people I see the individual it helps me care for all
I notice flowers, trees, and animals their names I love to recall
It’s filled my soul with a desire to know all God’s creations
My spirit has been freed it’s opened my imagination
The most important thing I’ve gained is respect for all that live
I try not to just see people but individuals with gifts to give
What ever it takes to open our eyes to appreciate God’s creations
Whether it’s nature, art, music, literature, or other passions
We need to take the time to experience the greatness of this earth
That we’re a part of and have dominion over by virtue of our birth
It is our responsibility to respect all that God has created
To care for, use wisely, and protect, to become educated
I still love the marsh and visit whenever I can
It testifies to me, of God’s divinity and the greatness of His plan

On Religion

Christian or Christlike

How do I show my faith in Christ as I live my life?
Do I carry his cross by loving others comforting pain and strife?
Do I exemplify what He taught in every thought and deed?
Showing love and kindness to all, their hungry souls to feed

To follow Christ is to do His work setting the example
Share kind words and offer help whether difficult or simple
Never scorn nor put to shame others values they hold dear
Show my faith and by my example my testimony share

Find no fault only good in others no matter how they differ
Even if they ridicule my values and all that I stand for
Turn my cheek when I’m offended or when I’m put to shame
Pray for those who hate me in His Holy Name

Being Christlike is not easy we must give up all
Become humble and meek like a child small
Confess our dependence on Him for our eternal lives
Seek the guidance of our Father to open up our eyes

To be a Christian is a title that anyone can claim
To be Christlike is to take upon myself his Holy Name
To make a covenant to bear the burdens of my peers
Show them kindness and understanding help to calm their fears


Steve Coleman 03/20/02