We're All In This Together

Uncle Bubba has been more or less missing from action due to a tumultuous 2 years of personal challenges. After many attempts to reach him, I finally made contact and was able to catch up to what was happening with he and Sweet Pea, but honestly, he didn't speak much about the past. Instead, he jumped back into what's going on in the world around him and his opinion of it. He mused at his timing to emerge from the peace of a backcountry wood, with fake news and sexual allegations spraying rich white men in the public eye like arrows shot from an army of Amazon women that circled around the canyon walls and climbed the cliffs to ambush their enemies. What is scarier, the dangling threat of a false accusation that is tried in the court of Twitter or the trend of skipping over a fair trial? But no one with ears cares about that now, they just want to linch somebody; and so it goes.

I asked Uncle Bubba how he thought that we got here? He told me that, his opinion, we've created an online society of projected lives and trolls, where both hide their true identity and virtually behave without the watchful eye of God; like uncivil, unconscionable animals. Then, as is bound to happen, that behavior becomes so familiarly engrained in the social psyche that it manifests itself in the real world of carnality and it's tyrannical doctrine robs us of our historical, hard-fought rights and freedoms.

In Bubbie's view, we need to get a grip and get a life. There's nothing wrong with trying new things but there's also nothing wrong with sticking with what works. Let injustice be revealed and a light shine on unrighteousness. Then let the accused face their accusers and present their defense to their peers, and all stand-up and suffer the consequences; we're all in this together.

As I Lay Dying

Uncle Bubba read the novel "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner many years ago and found it profoundly disturbing on many levels; he surmised that many people felt this way, but who knows? The story is written about Addie Bundren, the wife of Anse Bundren and the matriarch of a poor southern family, she is very ill, and is expected to die soon. Her four children wrestle with there individual perceptions of the event and the rather sizable questions of existence and identity. Addie's unorthodox wish to be buried near her blood relatives rather than with her own family is at the core of the story and sets of a tumult of actions by the family to honor her wish. In a critique of the story in Sparks Notes, Uncle Bubba would agree with the assertion the, "As I Lay Dying is, in its own way, a relentlessly cynical novel, and it robs even childbirth of its usual rehabilitative powers. Instead of functioning as an antidote to death, childbirth seems an introduction to it—for both Addie and Dewey Dell, giving birth is a phenomenon that kills the people closest to it, even if they are still physically alive. For Addie, the birth of her first child seems like a cruel trick, an infringement on her precious solitude, and it is Cash’s birth that first causes Addie to refer to Anse as dead. Birth becomes for Addie a final obligation, and she sees both Dewey Dell and Vardaman as reparations for the affair that led to Jewel’s conception, the last debts she must pay before preparing herself for death. Dewey Dell’s feelings about pregnancy are no more positive: her condition becomes a constant concern, causes her to view all men as potential sexual predators, and transforms her entire world, as she says in an early section, into a “tub full of guts.” Birth seems to spell out a prescribed death for women and, by proxy, the metaphorical deaths of their entire households."*

Not long after reading it, Bubbie put the novel out of his mind as anyone would an unpleasantry, but now it has resurfaced in the back of his mind as the matriarch of his own family, his mama is withering as he sits at her bedside. He is not only a witness to her ending from this life, but also a spiritually adept chronicler of the players in the Broadway show of her life. As he looks down at her and studies her features he can easily recall her best and beautiful youth. She was a petite, black haired beauty that could sing like an angel. Her enigmatic personality was complex and confusing to her children and much like the characters in the aforementioned novel, each had a vastly different experience and relationship with her. Uncle Bubba lovingly brushes back the hair on her forehead and considers himself blessed to be a Christian in these trying times; perhaps more devoutly Christian than his siblings as far as he can see, not to slight them for it but to grieve for them in their struggles to navigate life and this tense moment. Again Faulkner's cast of characters drift into his mind and he reckons that he's played each role in his mama's play. Cash Bundren, the eldest Bundren child and a skilled carpenter. Bubbie can sit in any corner of this ol' house and see his handy work. Cash is the paragon of patience and selflessness, almost to the point of absurdity. Darl Burden is the most sensitive and articulate. Jewel, the bastard child of Addie and Whitfield the minister. Jewel has a proud, fiercely independent nature that most of his family and neighbors confuse for selfishness. His passionate, brooding nature, however, reveals a real love and dedication to his mother, and he becomes a fierce protector. Vardaman is the youngest of the Bundren children. He has a lively imagination, and although his ramblings at the beginning of the novel border on the maniacal, Vardaman proves to be a thoughtful and innocent child. Bubbie has been all of these and none of them at one time or another, he feels that poignantly now at this tired time of transition.



Uncle Bubba can hear his mama's big clock in the other room: tick... tick... tick... tick... tick... tick... Time is all they have now. It may be short or tick on slowly and inscrutably. The players will enter and leave to play their narcissistic roles until the final scene, which we all know, like in the novel only sets off the beginning of a story. The will look upon her face but like Narcissus will only see their own reflection as when he caught sight of his own reflection in a pool, he sat gazing at it in fascination, wasting away without food or drink, unable to touch or kiss the image he saw. Uncle Bubba floats in and out of these early memories and false realities to reassure himself of the reason that he his here in the first place. In Bubbie's view, he is honored to share this time with his mama and be a good and faithful son until she decides that it is time for that chapter of his life is closed.




* SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on As I Lay Dying.” SparkNotes LLC. 2003. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/asilay/themes.html (accessed December 27, 2016).

Who Do You Agree With?

Uncle Bubba was driving down the road in his old Ford pickup truck with the windows down and the radio playing. He was taking in the scenery and the beauty of nature and fondly thinking on his loved ones and how fortunate he is to have good relationships that enrich his life. He knows that not everyone is so fortunate, and truth be told there are some people that Uncle Bubba doesn't have a good relationship with; of course, he's human and we are born into this imperfect world. However he has renewed his mind to think upon the best things of life and not dwell on his disappointments and failures. He watched a hawk soar over a meadow, effortlessly gliding on the air and marvelled at it's beautiful markings and grace in flight, yet knew that it was hunting and looking to dive on some unsuspecting furry little rodent. He aimed his eyes back on the road as an old song came on the radio, it was Bob Dylan singing, "Gotta Serve Somebody".  Man that's a good song! Uncle Bubba tapped his fingers to the beat of the song as he took in the simplicity of the lyrics; simple but so powerful, so true. Relationships are so tricky; aren't they? When we are in a relationship, be it an acquaintance or a full blown partnership, we are in agreement with one another; we have commonalities, mutual likes and ideas, goals, etc. But it gets complicated when the people that we are in agreement with do things that we don't agree with. Sure, we never know what people do in the dark but what if things come to light and something's unseemly and you think it's immoral? Do you remain in the relationship, justifying your part? Do you cling to it to get what you want, even though that means compromising your principles?

Uncle Bubba drove on through the back country roads, through shady woods and sunny meadows. He crested a hill and the road ran along a swift running brook that ran beneath the hardwoods. With his window down he could smell the moisture that hit the back of his throat with a tanginess. It smelled wet but clean before he drove back out into the sun; the brook meandered and disappeared behind him. He passed an old farm house with a manicured vegetable garden grown in the side yard. A herd of cows grazed out yonder. They were variegated in brown, white, and black and curiously all facing the same direction as cows do.

Uncle Bubba told me that he knew a man, Mr. Sims, who was betrayed by a man and angry enough about it that he was willing to use a gun to gain retribution; thankfully he didn't. Not too long after that, a dear friend of ol' Mr. Sims was betrayed in much the same way by Mr. Hill whom he thought was a friend. It just so happened that Mr. Sims was also a friend to, and very much in agreement with Mr. Hill; they did business together. Well what do you think ol' Mr. Sims did? Did he stay in agreement with spiteful Mr. Hill, his friend's betrayer, or walk away to be a good friend? After all, Mr. Sims knew what it felt like to be badly betrayed: the pain, the sense of loss. Well ol' Mr. Sims stayed in agreement with shady Mr Hill, which revealed the content of his character. Yes, he tried to still be a friend to the man harmed but it was an impossible task as long as he stayed in agreement with the offender. In Bubbie's view, before we are too hard on ol' Sims we should realize that too often this is how most of us would act. We try to stay in the middle but staying in the middle doesn't make a good friend. No, just 'cause we do it doesn't make it right, righteousness is a difficult thing but that doesn't mean we shouldn't live that way. Mr. Sims choice to compromise his values made it easy for Uncle Bubba to walk away from his friendship with ol' Sims. As his mama used to say that you're known by the company you keep.

Johnny Cash was a-singin' on Bubbie's radio as he turned into his drive, "You can run on for a long time, run on for a long time, run on for a long time... Sooner or later God'll cut you down..." Dang thats a good'un! Bubbie pulled up to the end of his drive and put his truck in park. He sat and listened to that song and reminisced about the wonderful sights he just saw. He marvelled at the majesty of nature. He watched the laundry that Sweet Pea had hung on the line sway in the breeze and he reckoned that he was about the most blessed man alive. He surely married the right woman and they've been growing closer and stronger for over 30 years now. That's what folks do that stick together. He smiled about her as he looked over her neatly planted flower garden.

Liars lie. They have to because if they stop the foundation of their relationships crumble. Cheaters cheat. Once a cheater, always a cheater; that's the way they respond to pressure. Thieves steal because they feel entitled to take what they want. That friend that's a backbiter is running you down when you're not around, you'd better believe it. If you discover that you're in agreement with someone like this, run and don't look back. Don't waste your time trying to fix them, don't wait for things to get better, don't hang on to get what you can from them. Leave. No one needs fake friends and users. In Bubbie's view, you may think that you can sidle up to a skunk but you may not want to; you'll be carrying that stink on you for a long, long time.

What's Up With Grandma?

Uncle Bubba has been taking care of his ailing mother with the loving, empathetic partnership of Sweet Pea. They make sure that her needs are met with care and concern. One void in her life that they cannot fill is her social life. Fortunately, it's often that Mama Bubba has guests stop by the house for short visits, to check on her and perhaps brighten her day. She holds court and small talk is made of the weather, of children and grandchildren, of the goings on at church, and so on. The exchanges are cordial though Mama is lost on current events and is often forgetful. These visits are obviously the result of how she lived her life in regard to taking an interest in the lives of others.

Just the other day, Bubbie ran into a woman that owns a small gift shop who knows Mama and has for years. She expounded glowingly on just how sweet and genteel Mama is and how fondly she thinks of her. "She's in the top echelon of people I know and I pray for her daily. Please give her my love."

This is typical of the encounters that Bubbie has in regard to his mama. However, he has a sister that cannot for the life of her figure out why people think that their mama is all that. She has a strained relationship with mama as perhaps most children do with their parents and even justifiably so. This is not written to judge Bubbie's sister but to point out that family and friends are often two different relationships. His sister will assert, "I can't figure out why on earth anyone would want to sit around with an old woman and talk about nothing? I just don't get it."

Well, Uncle Bubba has a lot of friends and many of them are older, senior people. He enjoys their company for many reasons, or he wouldn't take the time to bother with them; he wouldn't take the time. In Bubbie's view, senior people have so much to offer because of their life experiences. They talk with sincerity without competition or one-upsmanship. They offer advice to be taken or not. Bubbie doesn't always agree with the advice of his senior friends; however he takes it into consideration and objectifies it from their point of view to opinionate if it's valid and usable. And all of this is knowledge is easier acquired when it comes from someone that is not a parent, someone whom does not have any authority in your life. As Bubbie says, "I don't have to keep making mistakes to learn from them, I can just as easily learn from the mistakes of others... and it's less painful." These friends of Bubbie's are the patches that make up the quilt of his life. They bring richness and color to a, sometimes, drab existence. The other thing in Bubbie's view is compassion. He knows that by God's Word we are supposed to honor our elders, and that one day he will be the senior, housebound codger whiling away the endless hours hoping for a cheerful knock at his door. That's what's up with grandma.

Vapin'

Uncle Bubba's a pretty chill, laid back kinda dude. He's a live and let live feller as long as you don't bother him. So it was interesting to hear his take on smoking and the new vaping especially since he's a non smoker. It came about because Earl stopped by with one of those E-cigarettes and was blowing steam like a frozen locomotive.

"Earl, do you how ridiculous you look with that thing?" Bubbie chided.

Earl stood beneath a giant white cloud that billowed out from his pie hole. His vaporizer thing-ma-jig looked like he was sucking on the end of a modified duck call; it was about the same size and shape.
"I don't really care Bubba." Earl retorted, "It's better fer me then them expensive cigarettes."

Bubbie, as if not even hearing Earl's reply quipped, "That's gotta be real convenient when you gotta use two hands on something, ain't it Earl?"

"Well I put the dern thing down Bubba when I gotta use two hands." Earl shot back. Uncle Bubba glanced a laughing look my way and we both chuckled.

Earl eventually drove off, his driver's window cracked open and another monstrous white cloud swirled up and out into the wind. That's when Uncle Bubba offered his passing view on smoking and vaping. He told me that he never really cared if someone wanted to smoke, so long as it didn't hurt him. But then again we are trained from a young age to avoid things that are emitted from others bodies. We are told to cover our mouths when we cough and sneeze, at least most of us are. We are told to never spit, especially on the sidewalk. We are taught to wash our hands and all of this to avoid spreading sickness and disease. So in Bubbie's view it's an odd thing to actually see the smoke and vapor residue that is emitted from someone's lungs that pass through their esophagus, mouth and nose. Of course it's also an odd thing that someone would roll up some weeds in paper and light them on fire to breath the smoke in deeply in the first place, it don't make practical sense. And now he reckons that these E-cigs are healthier, or so we've been told, but sharing your vapors with everyone around you is a bit much.

I have to interject here and say that I agree with my Uncle Bubba's point of view, as I often do, adding that I can't fathom the attraction of the vape lounge. It's hard for a nature loving, fresh air seeking country boy to grasp sitting in a large enclosed room of smog so thick that you can't see through the windows. I've never been in one, but I've been in a lot of smoky ol' barrooms and these look to put those to shame. But as my favorite uncle says, to each their own.

Uncle Bubba Reduces Fed, Returns Power To States

Uncle Bubba called and asked if I'd come over and give him a hand with some work, which I was happy to oblige. He had a small mountain of brush to clear and a couple loads of stuff that had been collecting in his barn of which he'd finally had enough of and was taking it to the dump. Since we had a stretch of mild winter days he figured that it was a good remedy for cabin fever to do some early spring cleaning, real early. The notion must have worked on his spirit as well because we had a great conversation as we rode along in his pickup truck along the wet, back country roads. In light of the new Trump presidency he told me that he could downsize the Federal Government and reduce spending a just a few simple moves.

"Take FEMA for example," Bubbie said, "That's nothing more than a closet stimulus package that's used to funnel money to states in the guise of disaster relief. Sure, there's legitimate disasters and we're fortunate to live in a country that helps it's citizens in such a way. But with a little research anyone can see that there is a lot of money allocated and spent that the Federal Government just doesn't have and ya have to wonder where the oversight is." Uncle Bubba expounded, "I'll tell ya why no one looks into this agency, because it's political suicide to question the legitimacy in assisting disaster victims: the press would have a field day!"

As we rode on he suggested something that I had a difficult time arguing with as I ran the idea over in my mind. He told me that FEMA spends a fortune in logistics that a friend of his who is a FEMA Reservist told him about. For example, they pay all travel expenses: airfare, rental car, fuel, lodging, and a food per diem for thousands of employees to travel from state to state to aid disaster victims. They set up temporary offices with furniture and office supplies and computer networks. They send people from Florida to work in Minnesota and people from Minnesota to work in Florida. They send people from California to work in Maine and people from Maine to work in California... As Bubbie says, "...it's idiotic!" So here's Bubbie's view of that solution, since we know an estimate of how much money each state gets in disaster relief each year, the Fed should set up an account for each state and distribute it on request. Like a PayPal account. They would only need a few people in Washington DC to manage the accounts. They can get rid of all of the other FEMA employees which the states can then hire. That way the travel and logistic expenses are reduced to nil for the Fed, and the states gain knowledgeable employees that make and spend money in their own state; and in states with a state income tax, they get money back on their investment.

"OK, now that that's fixed," said Bubbie, "let's try another agency. How about immigration, I think they call it ICE? We allocate money in an account to be distributed among the states and let the states handle their own difficulties of illegal immigration enforcement since, like disaster funds are different from state to state." He went on to say that the money has to be distributed without a lot of conditions imposed by the Fed, trusting the states because that would just build up a need for more Federal resources that equals more money; the thing we are trying to avoid. We need to get out of the old mentality and keep our eye on the prize: a smaller Federal Government, less cost, and less federal taxes.

I said that it seems to me that something would have to be done about the magnitude of deportation since there are so many illegal immigrants to deport. Uncle Bubba said that deportation should be swift and humane. He suggested having countries bid on building and managing deportation facilities outside of US boarders. They would be nice housing facilities that would buy time to transition people back to their rightful countries of origin. By putting the onus on the host countries we alleviate our duty to manage the care and coordination of the deportees and they would be outside of the US.

"The thing about making changes is that too many people are freaked out by it. They are used to something and are unwilling to move even if the current situation is horrible; it's what they're used to." Bubbie went on with his view, "We have too many people today that use that argument that the conservatives want to go back to old ways and nothing could be farther from the truth. As a nation we try things and try to improve on things. If something doesn't work then we should either drop it completely or learn from our mistakes and move in a new direction; not just run off of a cliff because of a grand ideal that failed. If'n ya had a knock in your car engine you wouldn't just put the hammer down and drive it hard until you threw a rod; you'd park it and fix it so that it's running smooth again." In Bubbie's view it's really all about the money. If that is what the Federal Government is turned into then so be it. Let them be the bank for the states until the states can become self sufficient. But the bank doesn't loan money and then show up and do the work. The states should be responsible for their own budgets, maintenance, and issues.

"Why wouldn't we want our state government stronger with less influence from the Fed? Do you think your voice carries further in a small room of a few people or in a stadium during a concert? Your voice is more likely to be heard and have influence on the smaller state level than at the vast Federal level."

He gave me lots to think about and we got a lot accomplished at the farm as well. The air turned cold in the evening and we sat inside by the wood stove with full bellies from Sweet Pea's delicious cooking. We chatted about the day's work and some hunting and fishing. Hard work and fixing the world's problems: just another day with my Uncle Bubba.

Bubbie saw this and wanted it posted...

Which Came First?

http://www.LondonsTimes.us

Which came first the chicken or the egg? Who cares, they both exist. This is how my Uncle Bubba see things. The things that manifest in your life come from what you say and what you believe. As Uncle Bubba says, " It's a biblical principle." It's true, it's a commonly accepted truth. But it doesn't matter if you say things first and then believe them, or believe them first and then say them--it works either way. However, as we all know that thought is the parent of the deed, Bubbie reckons that what's in your heart comes out your mouth and I agree. This is the usual flow of information, we carry what's in our heart and then it overflows out our mouth. But that doesn't mean that we can't hear something over and over until it gets into our hearts.

This comes with a tale of caution as described by Uncle Bubba in a recent conversation. He told me of a time when someone that he respected, a family member that was older than him had often subtly put him down. It always made Bubbie feel bad and he just didn't get it but over time those put downs effected him and he became to believe that he had some shortcomings and character flaws that doomed him to sub-mediocrity. Later in life he discovered that what the family member said was untrue, it was their perception of things based on their jealousy and envious outlook. But it did a lot of damage to Bubbie and it took him years to recover from it.

"These things can work for the good as well as the bad" Bubbie recounts. "You can be glad or you can get mad. You can speak good things over yourself or damn yourself. And it works the same for others, you're either building someone up or tearing them down... it's your choice." Uncle Bubba went on to impart more of his homespun wisdom on me, "Sometimes we'll be just a-chuggin' along in life and everything is fine and then we hear someone say something that's outlandish and it sticks with us like burdock on a wool sock. It could be real or the biggest, fattest lie y'all ever heard; I mean a whopper. It hits ya hard and it leaves a scar. And if ya ain't careful and start to repeat it, it gets down inside of you and becomes your truth. Why I just heard a silly one the other day, a feller said that he doesn't want stainless steel appliances in his house by a lake because the moisture will make them rust over time. Well, that just ain't right and I wonder where he heard such a thing. I reckon that someone told him that once and he believed it even though we all know it ain't true. That's a good example of what I'm a-talkin' about. Now what if it was a lie about you or me? What if someone said a thing about you that was a whopper and people believed it? Why that's worse than anything because I can always admit a truth and redeem myself from it if I choose, but a lie is slander of which there's no defense because it never existed."

It gave me a lot to think about after our visit. I was getting hungry so I went to Miss Ellie's Red Robbin dinner in the town square and ordered the lunch special. I looked out the window as I waited on my food but my mind was mulling over my conversation with Uncle Bubba. He made a lot of sense and I was sorry that more folks can't gain some insight from Bubbie. Then, slowly, the sounds of conversations started to fill my ears and I could hear some folks at nearby tables spreading gossip and complaining about others and I thought, which came first, the complainer or the complaint? Who cares, they both exist. In Bubbie's view, be careful what you think and what you say because that's what will you'll manifest in your life.

A New Day

I called Uncle Bubba to wish him a Happy New Year and to ask if he stayed up until midnight to see the new year come into being. I was surprised to here a cheerful, energetic voice on the other end of the line.
"Yes! Sweet Pea and I stayed up until one in the morning" Bubbie exclaimed. He said that he was so glad that 2016 was over.
"Out with the old and in with the new."

He said that when he awoke in the morning the clear, January sun was shining through the southeast window and everything just felt different. It felt fresh and he had an overwhelming of a new beginning. It is also the birthday of his son, whom he was looking forward to seeing later in the day. In Bubbie's view, it's best not to get too high, too manic about life, but keep a positive, balanced outlook and always remember to count your blessings.