You wouldn’t think
that in 2026 you’d ever run into an actual wizard. As of this moment, the only proof I have is a
non-picture. Yes, as soon as I realized
what was going on, I snapped a picture with my phone. The person just smiled and said, “That isn’t
going to work.” He was right. When I look at my photo gallery that spot is
blank. No picture was made. I have no clue why.
I think the reason I tend to zoom in when taking a photograph is that all too often an overall view shows me things that I’d rather not see. Just this afternoon I was looking out of my office window and noticed a small bunny sitting on my lawn, munching on something he apparently found to be tasty.
Unfortunately, at the same time, a hawk circling overhead caught my attention. Suddenly I was hoping the bunny didn’t decide to move or hop to a different location, for I’m sure that would have captured the hawk’s attention.
I understand that’s all part of Nature, but I’d rather not watch it take place. I don’t need that image in my head. My thinking was, if I saw the hawk get any closer or start his dive towards the rabbit, I’d bang on my window and attempt to frighten the little bunny enough for him to head into the woods. I’m sure it was only in my head that a small bunny could outmaneuver an airborne hawk, but that’s the thought I was hanging onto.
Needless to say, much
of my photography shows the close, inner workings, rather than the overall
landscape of life.
I could, of course, tell you about the farmhouse, or about the tractor, or the farmer’s dog, or about the cornfield, but all of that would sound boring the minute I mentioned the spaceship. Right away you’d lose interest in all of those other things. But trust me, once you hear what happened you’ll see how each one is tied to the other and all of it could have happened only one way.
I should mention here that the only weapon the farmer ever owned was his grandfather’s old shotgun, and all he ever used it for was to shoot blanks into the air to scare the crows away from his cornfield. That only worked some of the time.
It was early Saturday morning, and the farmer’s wife had already left for town to do some shopping. Sammy, their trusty dog, did not go with her into town, even though he enjoyed riding in the truck, this morning he just felt like sleeping in. He opened one eye and watched her going down the driveway and then he went back to sleep, ignoring the crow who was perched on the edge of his dog dish, occasionally helping herself to his food.
Betty, the farmer’s wife had no sooner reached the stop sign at Rosedale Road, when she remembered her cell phone was still sitting under the lamp on the hall table. Everything she was going to get at the store was listed on her phone. She had to turn around and go back for it.
As the farmer was
walking back from the chicken coop, he heard Sammy barking. He saw Sammy standing at the back door and wagging
as he looked across the field. That’s
when the farmer saw the cloud of dust moving along the back road and heard the
familiar sound of their truck.
“She forgot her phone
again, Sam.”
But something very strange happened as they both watched. The cloud of dust suddenly disappeared for a moment and then was back again, as if there was something between the farmer and his truck driving along the dirt road that had obstructed his view.
The sound of the truck was not interrupted, only the sight of it going along the road. It made no sense. He could see nothing in the field and yet something had blocked the view. He knew it hadn’t rained, so there would be no reason for any part of that road to get wet. But what else could it be? What interrupted their vision but not the sound?
A thought quickly
flashed in his mind, but it was so bizarre that he dismissed it just as
quickly, that being that something invisible was sitting out in his field.
What hobby is this where nothing gets bought
everything constructed is built purely of
thought,
Surely this hobby is something quite new
it doesn’t need paint and requires no glue,
What hobby this be placing words in a row
choosing what to put next and where does it
go
What hobby is this with no hammer or nails
no clean-up is there with rags, mops or
pails,
A hobby so safe that children can linger
never a need for Band-aids on fingers,
No sharp pointy edges with nothing plugged in
no fumes rising up making little heads spin,
The worse possibility that I can foretell
is someone in haste could have a bad spell,
There isn't a limit - how wide or how tall
it's not going to hang on anyone's wall,
It won't be displayed with a visitor's log
but it might have a plaque announcing
My Blog.
ZC
Having passed through the fire-swamp and over the lightening sand, I believe I am ready to face your job interview. All of the basics are on my application, but I understand that beyond that you still have questions.
I am honest to a fault. I will work hard when being watched. I will have personal items on my desk and will occasionally daydream. I will make and accept personal phone calls while pretending they are not.
I will grumble when asked to work overtime and call in sick when I am not. I will not volunteer any information concerning those areas of my application that may have been exaggerated. I will play solitaire for hours at a time when you are not around.
In the event of an anomaly
I will blame whoever is absent. I will accept credit for things I only had a
small part of and will ask for a raise often, and by the way, I can’t start
tomorrow as we discussed, I need tomorrow off.
Joe Everymann
Every now and then, yesterday and today start to look the same. If ignored, you run the risk of every day looking just like the next. This isn’t something that new glasses or Windex can fix. A mental fog has rolled in and until it lifts your view of life will not improve.
There is a simple exercise you can do, much like chewing gum on an airplane helps your ears, this exercise will clear the fog.
No mater if it is day or night, winter or summer and it makes no difference if you are male or female. This works every time for everyone.
Remove at lease one shoe and one sock from the same foot. It’s fine to do both but it isn’t necessary. Once you have at least one bare foot, walk outside. Do not attempt this if you have any medical issues with your feet.
Once outside, don’t simply stand there, walk around. Experience the planet you’re standing on. Listen to the sounds around you as you walk. Feel the Earth as it spins and rotates. Remember the tiny imperfections beneath your foot. They are the unnoticed blemishes on the face of Mother Earth. Pay attention to your present concerns. Are you afraid of what is in the shadows, or of what your neighbors might think? Is it either heat or cold that has your attention?
It is all of these
things that have lifted the fog. Your
vision is now unobstructed. Your view of
today has been refreshed. When you are
ready, go back inside and return your sock and shoe to their original position. This exercise has adjusted your personal zoom
lens. Your focus has changed as well as
your outlook.
The crash had already occurred
The screeching sounds had stopped
The screams ended
The twisted metal now but a sculpture
sat quietly resting -
The yellow caution light still flashing
reflected in the chrome
and on the faces of the first responders.
Backed up sat a long line of the
annoyed and inconvenienced
anxious to pass
unaware of the other shoe.
