In The Midst Of Chaos...

...an oasis of serenity.

Isn't that delightful?

That's a sunrise on the lake by Larry's cottage, and he's kind enough to share some gorgeous pics now and then.

In this crazy runup to the most important election in our lifetime, when the airwaves are filled with lies and the future of our constitutional republic hangs in the balance...

...it's calming to simply take a breath, step back for a moment, and enjoy the beauty of God's amazing creation.

It helps me remember the God of the universe, the One who made everything we see and provides for our every need...

...is still in control of the affairs of mankind.

From Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

Since we are nearing that fateful moment in early November, here's a sampling of some recent political cartoons:

seasonally appropriate

ditto

energy independence, secure borders, low inflation, strong military, peace through strength...

...with neighbors who loved their lawns and we all worked at McDonalds and fired our glocks on the weekends...(cue insane cackle)

and haven't for the past 4 years

Just trying to lighten the mood.

Hate to admit it, but we done dooded the dirty deed:

We ran up the white flag of surrender and closed the pool.

This is always a sad day, since we're essentially admitting defeat and surrendering to reality: summer is over; winter is on the way.

Rats.

That time is approaching...

...so I've fired up the factory again...

...and have all 3 shifts working 'round the clock to produce our...

...world famous  regionally known  locally tolerated  same ol' treat bags.

This year we've adopted a pirate theme:

each pirate treat bag will have candy, an eye patch, a pirate ring, some pieces of 8 and a gospel tract.

Wow!  Can't wait to see the happy children's faces!

Or as Long John Silver...

...late of the Shady Palms Pirate Retirement Home...

...might say:

"Arr!  I be anxious t' see th' grog-filled little sandcrabs's faces!"

Tweaked my hickory playset once again as time runs out on this season...

once more with feeling (l to r): long spoon, mid iron, mashie, putter

...dropped my short spoon and swapped out the niblick for my mashie.

The mashie almost covers for the short spoon re: distance and is more versatile than a niblick; with only 3 clubs plus a putter, versatility is at a premium.

A minimalist at heart, I like carrying a literal "mixed bag":  one foot in the 1800's, the other firmly planted in the 1920's.

So far it seems to be working pretty well: ended up winning Friday's match 3 and 2.

Of course I still played the last 2 holes, finishing par-bogey.

my birdie putt on #2; "settled" (read: jumped for joy) for a par, first one of 4 that round

struggled a bit from the tees, but compensated with recovery shots...

...needed to chip in from there to make par on #7, so I figgered, why not?  deftly wielded my mashie and voila!  dumb luck?  I prefer to think of it as a bona fide mi-racle*

Time is definitely running out on this season.  My early tee times are now in danger of cancellation since frost is a real possibility most mornings.

I love the crisp temperatures and beautiful scenery of golf in autumn.

It's what comes after...

...that depresses me.

*mi-racle   noun

mi-ra-cle  | \ my' ruh kul \

a contraction of "minor" and "miracle"...not divine intervention, but unusual enough to merit more than a passing comment.

Not much shaking in the 23 Skidoo department this week:

that's "Roger the Elk" who wanders around Rogers City, MI.  he was kind enough to pose for this picture by the Calcite quarry with the northern lights as his backdrop.

written by someone in their 30's no doubt

probably kamala voters; all those make-believe glock owners stick together.

that flicker pretty much owns our makeshift bird feeder (filled with seafood sensations cat food).  even the blue jays steer clear when he stops by for a bite to eat.

That's going to do it for this week's edition of the Atomic Monster Cafe.

As always we thank you for your patronage, even if we do question your taste in reading material.

Since you've already blundered your way this far, we might as well slap you upside your bony noggin with this reminder from God's Word, I Peter chapter 1:

Eternal truth, courtesy of the Apostle Peter.

in the inspiring words of my first IT manager whenever he sent me on a mission to a customer site: "don't blow it".

Later, mcm fans...