He knew biscuits and gravy were waiting, along with hot coffee. And by the sound of the meat sizzling in the cast iron skillet, he could guess that steak was on the menu as well.”
–J.S. Stroud

Sorry to keep yuh waitin’ pard; sure glad yuh didn’t ride off. Bein’ the last Saturday of the year; well, I was a lazy bum this mornin’. Coffee’s ready though so come in an’ I’ll get you a cup. Hard to believe that only two days are left in the year. I was thinkin’ of that poem that ol’ Bobby Burns wrote and was made into song as I made the coffee this mornin’. Hang on an’ I’ll let her fly, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot and ne’er brought to mind?”
What? I don’t sound like a nightingale? Come on, pard, I don’t sound like a screech owl.
But anyway, ol’ pard, the year has gone by and there’s not a thing that can’t be done ’bout the days past. Sure, sure, there still may be consequences left over from decisions and the storms may have left devastation in its wake, but the best we can do about 2017 is reflect and learn from it. Don’t spend your time tryin’ to live those days again. I’ve made some good strong coffee this mornin’ and we can take a few minutes to say goodbye to 2017.
Now, yeehaw, bring it on, Powder River, let ‘er buck–2018 is only a few hours away. What the year holds, only the Lord knows. Be ready, be prepared, make sure your gun is oiled and handy, and get into your Bible! The days are drawin’ nigh for the Lord’s return. One thing we really need to do is make sure we “redeem the time for the days are evil.” Don’t be wastin’ yourself away, be goin’ forward in the direction the Lord has for you.
Here’s a verse for the year, one of my favorites and one I put in my books, “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.” (Proverbs 4:18, NLT) The Lord will be right there beside us through each day of 2018.
One more thing to make the New Year brighter and safer–make sure you always check your cinch.

When he returned from his rounds, the water was boiling, so he pulled off the coffeepot and poured in some grounds, filling the office with the familiar and welcome smell.”
–C.J. Petit

Christmas time’s a-comin’, whoa, hold on there pard! Christmas time is not a-comin’; Christmas time is here! Yeehaw, just waitin’ to hear the jinglin’ of those bells tomorrow night. I don’t think I want to be hearin’ those angels sing just yet.
Wish I could remember what it rightly was, but someone had a means to rate coffee. It was somethin’ all frou-frou, way beyond my simple understandin’ of good coffee. Pard, take a taste. Describe it. Not bad, right? See I only have three levels of distinguishing coffee: good, not bad, and that has a large range, and disgustin’. Disgustin’ coffee actually can be any brand, any type if it’s weak. Now, upon occasion I might rate some as really good. Oh, think so, huh? This mornin’s is good. Warms up the ol’ gizzard and makes it say howdy.
Dead serious now–you have taken some time to think of what the heavenly Father did by sendin’ His Son that Christmas Day so long ago? If not, yuh better do it or you’ll be missin’ out on the real meanin’ and a true blessin’. The Incarnation, whooeee pard, it’s somethin’. Sure mystical. Perhaps that is one of the problems with what the media and businesses have done to Christmas. They’ve moved it from mystical to magical. They speak of the “magic of Christmas.” There is nothin’ magical about it; no hocus-pocus, but there is certainly the mystical aspect of the virgin birth, why God would send His Son, the purpose of Jesus comin’ to earth, and the extreme love of God. I don’t know who said it but it’s true–“there was only one Christmas, there rest are anniversaries.” This is a day I’ll celebrate until the sod is thrown over me or I hear that trumpet sound.
Say, want ‘nother cup of that “not bad” coffee? Listen, what say we finish the pot. I’m finished with my shoppin’ but have some errands to run and I reckon that you still have some things to buy. Watch it out there, people are more than crazy right now.
One more thing, from that writer of yore, Charles Dickens, we need to remember! “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” One way to do that is to check your cinch everytime you mount up.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

For a few minutes we sat across the desk drinking coffee and trying not to appear greedy by taking more than our own share of the pie.”
–Lou Bradshaw

“Christmas times a-comin’….Hear those bells, ringin’, ringin….” Welcome pard, yuh caught me in a moment of merriment. I’ve got the coffee on, only we don’t have to worry ’bout fightin’ over the last piece of pie ’cause their ain’t none. Sure hope you had a good week. Did you get all yur shoppin’ finished?
I wonder sometimes, well, quite often really, ’bout some of the craziness and foolishness that come down through the media. Saw yesterday where a family of four have declared themselves the first all trans-gendered family. When I see things like that I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or grab them and slap them silly, which they already are. I was reading about Noah and the Scripture that says that men were doin’ evil continually. We’re gettin’ close to that now.
But put all that junk aside, and drink down that coffee, there’s a full pot just waitin’ to be emptied. Say, have you seen ol’ technology from the American Indian to forecast the weather? I’m sure you have, if the rock is white it is snowing, if wet raining, and so on. Well, I just found out that the weather bureau does check with Indians about the severity of the winter. It seems the chief of the tribe contacted the weather bureau and asked if the winter was supposed to be cold and he was informed it was. The chief went to the elders and told them to start collecting firewood. A month later the chief again called the bureau and asked once more. He was informed that it would be a very harsh winter. The chief again goes back to his tribe to tell them to gather even more wood. Just before winter actually started to set in the chief called one more time. This time he asked the person at the weather service how he could be so sure that it was goin’ to be a harsh winter. The weatherman replied, “Because all the Indians in the region are collectin’ wood like crazy.”
“Christmas times a-comin'” now yuh didn’t groan with that story did yuh? Hope yuh are able to stay warm, not only durin’ Christmas but the whole winter. More important that yuh stay warm in yur soul. One way to do that is to make sure yuh check yur cinch.

Without really paying attention, he quickly had the heat stove warming and the coffeepot sitting on top.”
–C.J. Petit

Christmas time’s a-comin’, yeehaw.  Get in here ‘fore your toes freeze.  I’ve a mug of hot coffee just waitin’ for you!  Say, how ’bout that snowstorm yesterday?  I got the wife up and she went and woke up the rest of the crew so the grandkids could get out before it all went away.  That was the first real snow that the youngest, Julee, has seen.  She was hilarious, especially when she smacked me with a snowball.  Funny the things we take for granted.
I had a good friend send me a pound of coffee from Puerto Rico.  Along with it was a nice Christmas card.  A few weeks ago one of my former students went to Hawaii and sent me a couple of packages of Kona.  See, at least I had one student who liked me.  Hmmm, funny the things we take for granted.
Ahhhh, now taste that coffee.  Which is it, El Jibarito or Kona?  I made it extra strong today, and for sure it’s hot.  It’ll warm up your gizzard in no time.  Not sure if it’ll make it all the way down to your toes.
Can the world get any crazier?  I don’t even like to see or read the news anymore.  It’s like watching looney-toons or worse.  The Woody Woodpecker cartoons made more sense than most liberals are doing.  Some of them are elected by the people so that tells you what the populace is like.  Some people go pay money to see some of them.  One thing that the female Chandler said about Sarah Sanders just jerked my jaws, but then I read the response by Sander’s father, Mike Huckabee.  He said Chandler is to be pitied.  She is probably jealous that she does not have the hope in Christ, a wonderful family and friends, and the peace that surpasses understanding, was part of his response.  Know what–he’s right!
Pard, I shake my head, should be wonder why the world is so crazy when they reject the gift of God’s Son?  Why one person out there said that Christians believe that Jerusalem is mythical and magical to them.  Nope, nothing mythical or magical about it.  But it sure does tie into end-times prophecy.
I rambled on with that to say, that I’m going to try to stay away from all the ridiculous things out there.  Problem is that some of those things affect me, and those around me.  Oh well, for sure when I go out into this world of craziness, I’ll make sure I’ve tightened my cinch.