what john posted

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: Amen! John, : I assume you were announcing yourself as the author. This really kicked ass if you ask me. I can really relate to this. Lately I am developing more of an interest in local, meaning indigenous, nature. There is something magnificent about living in Tampa and liking the people who live here, like the buzzards and lantana, the sandspurs and wood lice (rolly polies). I think that what you wrote is important and has to do with the healing or redemption of our region. It is important that we stay 'keepers of the garden'. This was entrusted to us, to be good stewards. Perhaps we need to learn to do like the Hopi elders teach us. To blend in with nature. I mean, afterall, God's plan is all about this. Sure, God is supranature, but he is not anti-nature. Nature flows out of God's desire and intention. Maybe one day, nature will reclaim all or our little rectangles. Let's see. Maybe it will swallow all the parks and golfcourses and such. Thanks for posting this neat viewpoint. : Bill : ************************************ : : You know I'm not into the cute anecdote thing, so pardon the format, but the content is great. : : Perhaps you have never thought that there is any other option beside what you have always known. : : No great theological point, but a matter of practicality. Why do we always try to remove the natural only to replace it artificially? : : Imagine how much less we would have to do if we made full use of the things God has provided to us. : : "Winterize your lawn," the big sign outside the garden store commanded." : : I've fed it, watered it, mowed it, raked it and watched a lot of it : : die anyway. Now I'm supposed to winterize it? I hope it's too late. : : Grass lawns have to be the stupidest thing we've come up with outside of thong swimsuits! We : : constantly battle dandelions, Queen Anne's lace, thistle, violets, : : chicory and clover that thrive naturally, so we can grow grass that : : must be nursed through an annual four-step chemical dependency. : : Imagine the conversation The Creator might have with St. Francis about this: : : "Frank you know all about gardens and nature. : : What in the world is going on down there in the Midwest? What happened : : to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started : : eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants : : grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with : : abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracted : : butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast : : garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles." : : "It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The : : Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to : : great extent to kill them and replace them with grass." : : "Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract : : butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod : : worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want : : all that grass growing there?" : : "Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to : : grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing : : grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn." : : "The spring rains and cool weather probably make grass grow really : : fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy." : : "Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it - : : sometimes twice a week." : : "They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?" : : "Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags." : : "They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?" : : "No, sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away." : : "Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will : : grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?" : : "Yes, sir." : : "These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back : : on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and : : saves them a lot of work." : : "You aren't going believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing : : so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they : : can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it." : : "What nonsense! At least they kept some of the : : trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. : : The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade : : in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a : : natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees : : and bushes. Plus,as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance : : the soil. It's a natural circle of life." : : "You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new : : circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles : : and have them hauled away." : : "No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the : : winter and keep the soil moist and loose?" : : "After throwing away your leaves, they go out and buy something they : : call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the : : leaves." : : "And where do they get this mulch?" : : "They cut down trees and grind them up." : : "Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. Saint : : Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled : : for us tonight?" : : "Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about..." : : "Never mind I think I just heard the whole story." : :

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