December 8, 2025, Banning- Two small piles of notebooks, coloured pencils, a therapeutic colouring book and post cards which had accumulated over the past fourteen years were offered to those gathered at the weekly Soup Kitchen. It took exactly fifteen minutes for six people to go through the offerings and take what suited them, in a discerning manner.
I will be doing more of that, over the ten days left to me to prepare for the move to Plano, especially as most of what I am giving was itself given me, following Penny’s passing, in 2011. Of course, it will largely go to Thrift Stores or to Habitat for Humanity, but new uses will be found for even the most well-worn items.
First, though, is my final visit to Orange County, at least until my granddaughter, whose birth is fourteen days away, attains toddlerhood. With that in mind, I took advantage of an easy clean-up after Soup Kitchen and headed west, through Arizona’s Outback and the Colorado Desert of eastern California. Only a couple of brief incidents coloured the generally smooth trip.
Between Aguila and Wenden, along US 60, there happened to be two rather large deer standing in the road. As Sportage approached, one deer went north and the other dashed south-no collision tonight!
Later, after I topped off the gas tank at Ehrenburg, a Honda Accord appeared to my left, as I was leaving the station-the driver bulling his way onto the road, to get ahead of me. Since he had been right behind a pick-up, I figured they were traveling together and he didn’t want to get separated. That was, until he zipped past the pick-up. Oh, well, we all got to stop, a half-mile further west, at the Ag Inspection. CHP also had a Safety Zone set up, for five miles through Blythe and just beyond, so we were all limited to 60 mph. Sometimes, taking ends up becoming giving, in terms of personal freedom. It’s often better to just go with the flow, at least when it comes to traffic.
From Wiley’s Well onward, the trip was uneventful, and I pulled into a different motel, the Margarita, around 10:15, PST. Tomorrow, I will meet my Orange County friend at Ladera Ranch and share my joys of this past year and the year to come.
December 29,2024- The world said its first farewell to former President James Earl Carter, Jr., as he winged his flight to paradise, earlier today. His legacy was one of perseverance and his singularity of purpose was in public service. He was a micromanager and did not believe that public office entitled anyone to perquisites. I got that impression on Inauguration Day, 1977, when the President-elect and his Secret Service contingent walked from Blair House to the Capitol, so that he could take his oath of office. Everyone who called on him for breakfast at the White House paid for their meals. He kept a tight rein on the White House Tennis Court.
Practices like those disturbed many in Washington, and in Federal agencies across the country. In retrospect, a lot of the “swamp” characterizations of recent years could have been obviated, had Mr. Carter’s more reasonable management practices been incorporated into the operation of the Executive Branch, and by extension, the Legislative and Judicial Branches. How slowly we learn!
The high water mark of Jimmy Carter’s life came after he left the White House, with his tireless efforts on behalf of global health improvements and his advocacy of Habitat for Humanity, now a major force in providing housing for the disadvantaged. At an age when most people shun the climbing of ladders, there was Jimmy, feet firmly planted on the sixth or seventh rung, nailing boards to fascia and eaves. He was meticulous, in going up and down the ladder, in building techniques-and in teaching Sunday School, which he did continuously into his early 90s.
I remember thinking that maybe he was oversharing, talking about “lusting for women in his heart”, though he never acted on those urges. It then occurred to me that he meant it when he said “I’ll never lie to you.” He was true to Rosalynn, his wife of 77 years. He was, by all accounts, a gentle but firm father. He was a tireless public servant.
The tributes paid to President Carter, from across the political spectrum and from across the globe, attest to that tirelessness and to that honesty. May his achievements be indelible in our nation’s history and may he rest in peace.
April 2, 2022, Dadeville, AL- “Behold a tree. Does it speak to us thusly: ‘Don’t you see that God is not working Himself into a frenzy in me? I am calmly, quietly, silently pouring forth my life and bringing forth fruit. ‘ Do thou likewise.”-Clarence Jordan
Mr. Jordan was one of the founders of Koinonia Farm, an intentional experiment in Christian living, which began in 1942, west of Americus, GA. Together with his wife, Florence, and colleagues Martin and Mabel England, he built a community based on the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people. This brought hostility from those who were afraid of racial equality, with Ku Klux Klan attacks and drive-by shootings, as well as bombings in the 1950s.
Koinonia’s response was nonviolence and prayer. The founders, and the community, survived nicely, and the enterprise remains as it was founded, rooted in love and prayer. Clarence passed away in 1969. Out of Koinonia’s ministerial efforts have come Habitat for Humanity, and The Fuller Center for Housing. Koinonia remains a fully-functioning cooperative farm.
Here are some scenes of the property, which I visited this morning.
Koinonia Farm Welcome Center, west of AmericusView of the Main Campus, from Welcome CenterDried mud beehive oven, Koinonia FarmJubilee House-one of several residences and guest houses on KoinoniaKoinonia Chapel, across the road from the farm.
An example of an unreasoning individual showed up, as I was preparing to turn left into the chapel’s driveway, and passed my car, on a double yellow line, in the opposite lane, seconds before I would have turned, had I not felt the energy telling me-“WAIT!” The vehicle must have been moving at 50 mph, leaving the road and bouncing back on it, about fifteen seconds later.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, is still alive, at age 97. He lives with his wife Rosalynn, on a private compound, in Plains, GA, where they grew up. Plains proudly holds its favourite son and daughter to its heart. The small downtown bears the imprint of the U.S. National Park Service. While not everyone on the block is a fan of Mr. Carter, those who grew up there are.
The east end of downtown Plainsand the west end.Downtown Plains Park
Two very positive shop owners were the proprietor of a peanut butter ice cream parlor, who is a native of Plains and a small cash dispenser/convenience store owner, who comes from Sri Lanka. The owner of Plains Trading Post has one of the largest troves of political memorabilia and media, in the nation. I will leave it at that. He has several rare books on various historical topics. I bought one, as a gift to a family member.
At the Jimmy Carter National Historical Site, on the campus of the former Plains High School, it was noteworthy that one of the strongest influences on Mr. Carter was his school’s lead educator, Miss Julia Coleman-who was a pedagogically active Superintendent. Miss Coleman (She rejected the title, Ms.) was active in community gardening and took a personal interest in both the white and black schools, and their students. It dismayed her that there was so much resistance to integration of the two student bodies, even as late as 1965.
The Friendship Garden of Miss Julia Coleman
The fullness of Jimmy Carter’s life is well-depicted in the 25-minute video that is shown in the historical site’s auditorium. I hope to learn more, at the Carter Center, his Presidential Library, in Atlanta-but not until my next visit in the area. (Mr. Carter believes on keeping the Sabbath, so the facility is closed on Sunday). Needless to say, his legacy is already one of the most genuine and consistently enriched, of all the Presidents.
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site is situated at the very field where the men trained. Just north of the city of Tuskegee, Alabama, it is a spacious area, and is still used as a training site for pilots of small aircraft.
Main Gate to Tuskegee Army Air Corps Training FacilityThese skeletal structures represent the Army Supply Building (foreground) and the Cadet House (background).Hangar # 1, Tuskegee Army Air Corps Training Field
This hangar contains examples of two training airplanes, a plane motor and has audio presentations of several different players in the endeavour. Women served as security, parachute preparers, and aircraft mechanics.
Homage to Dr. Robert Moton, who fostered this airfieldReplica of a training biplaneView of Tuskegee Airfield training complex, from the upper parking lot
It was a full day, and I admit to being a bit less energetic than the various people zipping along the backroads of Alabama, while I headed to and from Oskar’s Cafe, and Heart of Dixie Motel, Dadeville. Oskar’s has modest, but very filling portions-continuing in the spirit of Georgia and Florida. Madolyn was another very focused and energetic server. The motel needs a lot of work, but it’s clean and safe.
Tomorrow, I head back to Atlanta, for a day or two.
March 23, 2015, Williams- Today, I helped a friend haul stuff out of her old double-wide trailer, in a remote area about ten miles north of this tourist center, along Route 66. It had been her regrouping home, whilst she was decompressing from other life events. She returned to a community-based living situation, about two years ago, and is donating the trailer to Habitat for Humanity.
We had long conversations, on the way to and from the place, and I got a lot of affirmation of my life plans, as far as they go right now. This friend is another person who serves as an older sister or cousin, so this support is well-taken.
I have had a checkered relationship with Habitat for Humanity. In the ’90’s, I gave a fair amount to the charity, and its mortgage arm. Around 2005, much came to light about Habitat foreclosing on several mortgages, and evicting people. While I am now sure that some of this was fair business practice, it left a sour taste in my mouth and I no longer contributed to the charity, after 2006. My contributions resumed, briefly, last year, when my in-laws’ house here was sold, and some of the furniture went to Habitat.
I have definite criteria for my charitable contributions: The bulk of the money must go to its intended clientele, not to administration, and the charity must not do harm to that clientele, especially in the name of revenue generation. I rely on Charity Navigator, my available funds and my gut feelings, when making a contribution. So, it shall continue.
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A Sagittarian Seeker 