More Delights and Disdains . . .

of a diminutive nature of late . . . Number 23

Disdains:

Watching Western North Carolina’s post-Helene recovery efforts slip from the news media cycle.

Feeling irritated at not being physically able to help my friends and business associates in Asheville or even my brother-in-law and nephews clear out the fallen trees on our property. My spirited chainsaw is willing but my flesh is weak. Plus, there’s nothing like a hard day of physical labor to clear the mind. I miss that. Unfortunately, I achieve the same level of fatigue from my pre-Parkinson’s days of cutting wood now by just walking up the driveway . . . sans the mind clearing.

Delights:

Listening to WNCW (88.7) located in Spindale, NC. Operating as part of the listener-supported NC Public Radio system, the station broadcasts a varied format including Americana, folk, blues, jazz, reggae, Celtic, world, rock, bluegrass, and indie. Broadcasting for most of my adult life, the station has been a stalwart guardian and promoter of Western North Carolina’s musical heritage - a role even more important now that so many of the old mountain homesteads and by extension, familial roots have been destroyed.

Remembering the negative impact that Katrina had on New Orleans jazz and blues music. I hope that Helena’s cultural damage is not so extensive.

Being thankful that the only damage to my property was the loss of one large pine tree and a refrigerator full of food. Not having power for eight days was inconvenient but at least the outside temperature wasn’t too hot or too cold. I also benefited from having a propane powered water heater and stove top. The storm damage and power outages reminded me of the blizzard of March 1993 that dumped 18 inches of snow, a rare happening in Upstate South Carolina. At least at the end of this storm, I didn’t have to dig my car out of the snow and take my brother to the ER to get stitches after he chainsawed his foot while clearing trees from his driveway.

Following up Peculiar Treasures by Frederick Buechner with his book Wishful Thinking: A Seekers ABC. Borrowing from C. S. Lewis and Paul Tillich, the book is a comedic dictionary of the “language of God.” Again, Buechner’s writing style resembles the wit of Mark Twain without his contempt. Speaking of Twain . . .

Reading James by Percival Everett who turns upside-down the story of Jim, the runaway slave, from Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. I must confess that I committed an act of personal literary sacrilege upon reading the first chapter; I skipped to the end and read the last few pages. I wanted to know if reading it would be worth the effort considering the way that James was presented at the beginning of the book. After reading the end, I have to read the rest of the book. I am curious how Jim the innocent turned into James the killer.

Leaving you with a definition from Wishful Things and asking how can it be applied to the upcoming election:

IDOLATRY

Idolatry is the practice of ascribing absolute value to things of relative worth. Under certain circumstances, money, patriotism, sexual freedom, moral principles, family loyalty, physical beauty, social or intellectual preeminence, and so on are fine things to have around; but to make them the standard by which all other values are measured, to make them your masters, to look to them to justify your life and save your soul is sheerest folly. They just aren't up to it.