to participate in either being or nonbeing

It is 5:27 PM Tuesday early evening. It is a very hot humid day. A day to roast in the Last Days of the sun.

Carol just left to get supplies for the troops. The troops left this afternoon to have a meal with friends in GR. Carol and I have been straightening up the shack since the troops left. The troops should be back by nightfall since the grandchildren go to bed early.

It has been a hectic day but I am doing OK in-spite of all the disruption. The Lord gives grace. I got up this morning around 7:15 AM. When I came up stairs everything was flying and the television was blasting. I wonder if children ever wake up in a state of silence? I love silence especially in the mornings. Why do children hate silence? Weird. Why do adults hate silence? So I got up greeted the family and got a glass of cold water. I sat in the dining room waking up. The plan this morning was to go to Deboer Bakkerij for breakfast. There was no sitting at Deboer so we ordered a ton of food and all drove back here to eat our morning feast. This feast also was a going away feast for Josiah, Hannah, and Marika that we planning to hit the road for Chicago at Noon, catch a plane for home Washington State at 3 o’clock PM Chicago National Airport. So we did that. Today Andy, Caleb, and Emily had to work. Cora went to daycare and Josie stayed with us so as play with her cousins.

I did leave the house for a short span of time to visit local thrift stores. Did not find any used books to add to our library. I was home by 11 o’clock AM. When I got home Carol, Bethany, and grandchildren were leaving to go over to Yonker’s Greenhouse to buy fairies for the girls. They came back fast because Jack fell and skinned his knee.

I spent time in my main study reading, praying, and writing in my paper diary most of the afternoon. We must not waste time. Redeem the days for they are evil. So this day has gone by. This is the last day of June 2020. Tomorrow is July 1, 2020. We will soon all be dead.

The last books I attempted to read this evening was, ‘Saul Bellow Letters’ Edited By Benjamin Taylor. I won’t go into what I read last night, because it does not matter. I will close to brush my teeth. Existence keeps decaying.

to understand ourselves as an inner flow of life

It is 11:09 AM Monday morning. Everyone left this morning to take the kids to a park to run around and scream. I stayed home to enjoy some peace and quiet. Also it is very hot outside and rather stay inside where it is cool.

I got up this morning around 7:15 AM. When I came up Carol was feeding the troops. As usual the grandchildren were running around screaming and watching television. I ate breakfast amidst the noise and chaos. After eating some food I went to my main study closed the door and had devotions.

I do not know what folks are going to do once they come home from a park. Tomorrow Josiah, Hannah, and Marika fly back to Washington State. Josiah has to work this month (he works part-time at a grocery store).

Last night we had a Pizza Party here at our place. After pizza folks left to go down to Caleb and Emily’s place. Josie stayed with us and had a sleep over with her cousins. The girls slept with Noni. I slept down in the lower level as usual. I read last night from these books while down in the lower level, ‘Boswell’s Presumptuous Task: The Making of the Life of Dr. Johnson’ by Adam Sisman, ‘Brothers Of The Quill: Oliver Goldsmith in Grub Street’ biography by Norma Clarke, and ‘The Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age’ by Leo Damrosch.

While everyone is gone I filmed a short video for my Youtube channel. I have been reading this morning, ‘The Book of Disquiet’ by Fernanao Pessoa.

Well I will close to sit and feel wasted.

In order to understand, I destroyed myself

It is in the death flow 11:22 AM late Sunday morning. It is a warm sunny day outside. We have the house closed up and the air conditioner system running to keep the house cool.

This morning the Troops left to go to Holland State Park/Lake Michigan. I do not think everyone went to the Lake. I think Hannah, Josiah, Marika, and Caleb stayed home, maybe also Cora Leigh. Carol left for Covenant PCA this morning and should be home soon. I have been writing in my diary this morning and reading from a book titled, ‘The Book of Disquiet’ Complete Edition By Fernando Pessoa Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa.

I got up this morning around 6:45 AM. When I came upstairs everyone was up except Andy. I ate breakfast and then went to my study to have morning devotions.

There is not much else to report this morning. I will soon be Noontime. I think we are all eating dinner down the street this evening, but I am not sure. I am falling asleep as I write so I will close to wait it out.

the unknown god whom the Gods may remember

It is 3:53 PM Saturday late afternoon in the death flow. Right now the sun is shining and it is warm outside. There is a breeze blowing through the environment.

The troops left this morning for a field trip up North and they should be marching in anytime. We babysat today Cora and Marika.

There is not much to report right now. It would take too many words to describe last night’s Carol’s Retirement Party. I think everyone had a nice time. There was plenty of food and as I looked around folks were talking. The kids played in the rain and ran around screaming. We left around 8:30 PM in a rain storm. There was flash flooding due to the heavy down pour of rain. When we all got home we put away the food that was left over from the Party and went to bed.

The troops left for their field trip around 9 o’clock AM. Caleb, Emily, Hannah, and Josiah stayed here and went for a walk someplace. They left Cora and Marika with us and picked them up around 3 o’clock PM. (We also watched Ollie Caleb’s dog while they were off walking someplace.)

All I have attempted to read today is from the book, ‘The Book of Disquiet’ By Fernando Pessoa. I did get a book in the mail today titled, ‘Growing In Grace’ Edited By Joel R. Beeke.

Today is our daughter Beth’s birthday, she is 36 years old. Our son Josiah’s birthday is in August and he will be 38. And Caleb our oldest is 39 years old. I will be 68 years old this coming August.

Well I am blown out of the water so I will close to wait for the troops to come screaming in.

the liberal doctrine of natural rights

It is 3:17 PM Thursday afternoon. It is a sunny day. Lately we had nice sunny days.

Presently everyone is down at Caleb and Emily’s. Carol walked back to our house. I have been home trying to not pass out from exhaustion. I did leave the house this morning around 10 o’clock AM to visit thrift stores in search of used books. I found these used books today for our library-

‘In The Days of McKinley’ American history by Margaret Leech

‘A Field Guide To Gettysburg Experiencing the Battlefield through Its History, Places, and People’ Carol Reardon & Tom Vossler

‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ A Novel by Richard C. Morals

‘Bachelorhood: Tales of the Metropolis’ Essays by Phillip Lopate

‘Decades of Science Fiction’ General Editor Applewhile Minyard

‘The Mind of The Spirit: Paul’s Approach to Transformed Thinking’ New Testament Studies by Craig S. Keener

‘The Celestials’ A Novel By Karen Shepard

‘The Razor’s Edge’ A Novel By W. Somerset Maugham

‘Noon Tiger’ A Novel by Penelope Lively

‘Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln’ American history by Doris Kearns Goodwin

‘Guns, Germs, And Steel: The Fates of Human Societies’ by Jared Diamond

These days I have been mainly reading when I have presence’s of mind, ‘Boswell’s Presumptuous Task: The Making of the Life of Dr. Johnson’ literary study by Adam Sisman.

In the mail today I received a book I recently ordered titled, ‘William Lowades Yancey And The Coming Of The Civil War’ biography by Eric H. Walther.

I am too tired to give a detailed account of existence around here lately. It has all been sheer madness! We are all having dinner down the street at Caleb and Emily’s this evening.

I could write more but I am too tired. I need to close my eyes and pray for restoration.

a family gathering

It is 3:58 PM Wednesday afternoon. It has been a nice sunny day. I just woke up from a short nap down in the lower level. This afternoon everybody left to go for a hike by the Lake. They left with us Noni and Papa Cora and Marika. I just heard a noise like maybe a pile of books crashed down in the lower level. The whole house shook. I should go check down in the lower level to make sure.

No the noise was up the troops returning from the Lake.

Time has passed, time is now 4:46 PM. All the noise I heard was people coming back from visiting Lake Michigan.

It has been a crazy day around here! I am not sinking yet so that is a good. I am extremely tired, because I have not been sleeping soundly these days. My body is full of aches and pains and it difficult for me to fall into a deep state of sleep at night. It is also difficult to sleep down in the lower level on an old mattress. But the Lord keeps me from falling from grace.

I got up this morning around 7 o’clock AM. Everyone was up when I got up. I think I ate some food for breakfast. Wait I now remember Carol cooked a huge amount of food for a big family breakfast. Josiah, Hannah, and Marika got into Caleb Emily’s around Midnight last night. Around 9 o’clock AM everyone was here for a family breakfast. We all sat outside in our drive way and ate. The kids played while they ate. People talked and drank coffee. It was nice morning to sit outside. I took a bunch of pictures and also filmed video’s.

People left for the Lake around Noon. Carol and I stayed here to babysit Cora and Marika. Now everyone is back and things keep rolling along. I do not think I have read anything today. I did find sometime to write in my paper diary today.

Last night is a blur. I do recall we watched an old episode of the TV show ‘Colombo’. Well I will close to drift in a state of exhaustion.

the Synoptic Gospels

It is 4:53 PM Tuesday late afternoon in the death flow. Presently it is sunny and in the 60’s. This morning when I got up it was cold and it was raining. Now it is sunny but not hot.

I have had a normal day. I do not have anything to complain about. I got up this morning around 7 o’clock AM. When I came up stairs there was a full time storm of chaos. I gather my brain and got a glass of orange juice and sat in our dining room. I went over to our main computer, but the internet was down (finally around 1 o’clock PM the internet connected to the dead world).

Bethany, Andy, and the kids left for Grand Rapids MI around 9 o’clock AM to visit Andy’s mother. I spent the morning writing in my paper diary and feeling sick tired wasted blown out of the water! Carol went grocery shopping this morning. When she got back from grocery shopping she took a nap. I read my books and filmed a video for my Youtube channel. I have been reading this afternoon from a book titled, ‘Main Currents in America Thought: The Colonial Mind, 1620-1800’ Volume I By Vernon Louis Parrington. In the mail today I received a new book I had ordered titled, ‘Biblical Theology According to the Apostles: How the earliest Christians told the story of Israel’ By Chris Bruno, Jared Compton, and Kevin McFadden [New Studies In Biblical Theology].

Bethany, Andy and the kids are back. I will close to face the coming darkness. This evening sometime our son Josiah and his family will be here.

Harvard Law School

It is 10:55 AM late Monday morning in the death flow. I realized a moment ago I better write now something in my online diaries before the troops come home from the Lake. Carol just left to get supplies for the troops. It is a hot humid day, so we shut the house up and turned on the central air system.

I got up this morning around 7 o’clock AM. Carol and I slept down in the lower level. Beth and Andy slept in our room. The grandchildren slept in Beth’s old bedroom.

When I got up everything was in full swing. I got myself a glass of cold water and sat in our dining room seeking to wake up. Carol had made coffee so I got myself a cup. I carried my cup of coffee over to our main computer to check for e-mail and scan the News. Next I ate breakfast and retreated into my main study to write in my paper diary.

So much has been swirling around me that it would take forever to describe it all, so I will leave it all unwritten. Everyone went off to the Lake this morning. I have been sitting dozing and reading from a book titled, ‘Oliver Wendell Holmes: A Life in War, Law, and Ideas’ biography by Stephen Budiansky.

I plan to just drift through the day in a state of exhaustion. Do not know when the troops will be back from the Lake. Existence keeps decaying. I will close to wait it out.

a Calhoun Fire Eater

It is 10:42 AM Sunday morning. It is partly sunny day. It is in the 70’s this morning. It is not as hot as yesterday. We still have the house closed up and the air conditioner running. We might turn off the air conditioner later and open up the house.

Carol left for Covenant PCA this morning around 9:59 AM. I have been wandering my cell waiting it out. Sometime the day of freedom will come for me. I look forward to the day of my release from this sordid prison.

This morning I got up around 6:15 AM. When I got up I found my wife doing the usual things. I got myself a glass of cold water and sat in our dining room slowly waking up to another week. We are coming quickly to the end of June 2020. The plague is still raging and there is brutal chaos going on throughout the country. Mobs of people are destroying statues of George Washington and General Ulysses Grant. Also mobs are burning American flags and demanding all police stations to shut down. People in the United States want mob rule not a rule of Law and Order. We are under siege by mobs of morons.

This morning besides writing in my paper diary I have been reading a book that I started reading last night titled, ‘Oliver Wendell Holmes: A Life in War, Law, and Ideas’ biography by Stephen Budiansky.

We expect late this afternoon our daughter Bethany and her family to be here for a visit. It will be nice to visit with Bethany and her family husband Andy, Lou, Marn, and Jack. Bethany is also pregnant with their fourth child Nora Jean.

Well I will close to drift.

the literary renaissance of Virginia

It is 1:28 PM Saturday afternoon. It is another hot sunny day. Right now what we need is rain and not another hot sunny day. We will soon be in a drought and in danger of wild fires.

I got up this morning around 6:30 AM. Carol had gotten up around 4 o’clock AM this morning. So I got up and went through the morning hours. I have not gone any where today. Carol did leave this morning and went grocery shopping.

All I have attempted to read today is some more of the book, ‘The Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age’ biography by Leo Damrosch. I have two other biographies by Damrosch on our library, ‘Tocqueville’s Discovery Of America’ biography and ‘Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Restless Genius’ biography.

I did write today a couple of pages in my paper diary. I dozed while Carol took a nap this afternoon. So another day goes by. This morning we received a text from Bethany telling us they were hitting the road headed towards us. Andy and Beth and the grandchildren should be here in Holland Michigan tomorrow afternoon for a visit. Andy’s family live in Grand Rapids MI. Next Tuesday our son Josiah and his family Hannah and little Marika will be flying into Chicago and they will rent a car and drive here for a visit. Next Friday we will have Carol’s Retirement Party.

Last night I basically read ‘Main Currents in American Thought: The Romantic Revolution in America, 1800-1860’ Volume II by Vernon Louis Parrington.

I will now close to wait for time to drift by.