Rushing's Ramblings

I've been having problems understanding the connection between the Christian Evangelicals and Trump.  Only yesterday, I learned of Franklin Graham and his association with Putin, so I did some research. Franklin Graham makes a yearly salary of over a million dollars.  His net worth is over $10 million, which is probably a conservative estimate. He has made several trips to Russia over the past six years.  He has been quoted saying that he admires Putin for his stance against homosexuals.  Apparently, it's acceptable to Franklin that Putin has murdered and imprisoned people who identified as homosexuals. Franklin has claimed that Obama was Muslim, even though he has declared his Christianity, has been a member of a Christian church for many years, is married to a Christian, and has raised his daughters as Christians.  Graham has stated that Obama filled his administration with members of the Muslim Brotherhood but has never produced any evidence that th...

I don't like cats. I had one for a few months when my daughter was young but had to return it to the veterinarian, that gave it to me when the cat started peeing on my new carpet.  He later told me that the cat went to live with a sweet elderly woman living on a farm.  I'm not sure if that's true, but the truth would probably kill me. Almost a year ago, I bought a townhouse in the Texas Hill Country and learned that everyone here treasured the numerous feral cats calling our community "home."  Most of my neighbors are here only occasionally, as these are their second homes.  A handful lives here only during the winter months.  And one of the Winter Texans, Bruce, is the kind man who feeds the cats in the winter. I'm here year-round, so my moral duty was to ensure the cats were fed during the six months the Winter Texans were in Minnesota.  I started with approximately 11 cats in May. When the Winter Texans returned to their homes in Mi...

I was ten or eleven when I stayed with my paternal grandmother for a week. She had been a widow for four years and was dating a neighbor. One day, the neighbor invited me to walk with him about a mile to the cemetery because he wanted to tend to his wife's grave. My grandmother gave us her blessing, and off we went. I don't remember what we were talking about, but it seemed innocent and friendly during our walk to the cemetery. When we got to the gravesite, the man began hoeing the sprouting weeds. Suddenly, he stopped and told me how pretty I was and that I would be beautiful when I grew up. He put his arms around me and started caressing my flat chest, telling me I would one day have lovely breasts. I was confused and frightened at the same time. I finally broke away from him and ran back to my grandmother's house as fast as I could. I was given a Bible and instructed to stay in the back bedroom. Soon, the man approached my grandmother's front porch. My grandmother, a...

PEPPER AND MY DAD His name was Pepper. He was the ugliest Cocker Spaniel you've ever seen with a smashed-in face and ears that always stunk to high heaven.  The black color of his hair hid most of his unfortunate features.  Yet, my father dearly loved this dog and spoiled him in many ways.  He was the light of his life. We were not allowed to have dogs in our house when we grew up.  They stayed outside in a dog house.  Winters in the Texas Panhandle were sometimes brutal, but the dogs seemed to adjust to the weather.  I always felt sorry for them and frequently begged to bring the dog into the house for warmth, but they were never allowed inside, even when the temperature would fall far below freezing. My parents acquired Pepper some years after the three of us left home. Pepper never spent much time outside during his nine years on this earth other than "helping" my father while he tended his beloved garden.  His garden produced the mo...

Since fall was in the air, I decided to hike with my dog, Paddy. I had not been on a 'real' hike in over 8 months, as I had injured my back earlier in the year while moving furniture. I experienced a long, painful recovery, but those days have gratefully passed. I was anxious to hit the trail with Paddy. After researching hiking spots nearby, I settled on Pedernales Falls State Park. The park is a 30-minute drive from my house in Horseshoe Bay. I packed a water bottle, an emergency aid kit, and extra socks. I chose Wolf Mountain trail, six miles in length with several side loops off the main trail. The path has a 1000+-foot elevation and several stream crossings. I thought hiking for an hour would be perfect timing. I felt exhilarated to walk on a beautiful trail and continued past the hour deadline because I had yet to see the Pedernales River from remote cliffs. Heaven on earth for me is hiking with Paddy on a lovely early fall day in the Texas Hill Country. As we circumvente...