The Plains of Kansas

A few days back, my family traveled to the family farm, deep in the center of The-Middle-of-Nowhere Kansas.  Mom calls it her "Happy Place".  I call it epic.  Everyone else simply calls it the Farm.  

The scenery of Kansas never ceases to amaze me.  And I'm sure you're tired of my rantings, so I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.  All of these are our own pictures. :)  

Green wheat.  Wait 'til it turns golden—it's even more amazing then.

Some pasture land around ten minutes from the farm.

Some cows in one of the Farm's pastures.  They were really friendly folks. 

A snake we found when digging through an old, abandoned garden.  Anyone know if it's poisonous? ('Tis a little late now, though...)

My dad's old Datsun.  It's overgrown now, and there used to be a skunk living in the hood.  (He wasn't that happy about it.)

This one was taken just after a storm went through.  We got stuck on the Farm for a while because of a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning with hail.

Another picture, this one from the window. (Taken by Yours Truly.)  Magnificent, no?

And the best was for last.  The storm clouds framed the sunset, and the view from Roxbury Hill (as we call it) was breathtaking.  The road races on from there, wet with the rain.  

All the pictures can be clicked for a bigger size.  

I love Kansas.  Not much more to say than that.  What did you all think of the pictures?

--

Jake

The Narnia Theme

Well, I haven't posted here in a while.  Things have been going crazy.  Today there was thirteen tornadoes sighted in Kansas.  And more in other states.

However, I came to post a video I've been listening to a lot lately.  I recently discovered it, and it never gets old. The epicness never dims.  It's the main Narnia theme from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Check it out. And turn the volume up.  This one is known as "The Battle", and it certainly fits.

I'm off again.  Farewell!

--

Jake

Randomness! 'Tis Thee Again!

*listens to 'They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard'*

*looks up* Oh, hello!  How are you?  How's the family?

Once again, I've been left with the revelation that I have absolutely nothing useful to blog about.  I had plugged the headphones in my ears earlier and blasted TATTHTI in my ears (such a catchy tune!) and I saw someone I recognized.

"Randomness!" I almost shouted.  "'Tis Thee again!"

Yes, my old friend Randomness had stopped by.  It had been a long time since I've seen his true, blazing self.  I find he pops up a lot, but he's usually a bit shady.

But this time, he had that old gleam in his eye.

"Remember the Randomness Post to king all randomness posts?" he said with a grin.

"Like yesterday," I replied, and linked his post.

He listened to TATTHTI with me for a moment.  "Quite a random song," he said to me.  "Quite a worthy song! And the tune, the tune!  I could listen to that all day."  That's quite a compliment from Randomness himself.

SO, tell me, where is Gandalf? for I much desire to speak to him.

And where ARE they taking the hobbits?

Now, readers, what is your favorite memory of Randomness?  Does it have to do with Ninjas? Pie?  Turkeys?  Hobbits?!

Also, I have *ahem* composed another random poem.  Another Flow'st.

And as you read these words...remember.

This is for Random.

--

The Flow'st


Flow'st, 'tis me name, oddly grame
Snayed in the oddly blacked frame
I say, me lad, I say, that flame
Doesn't it look a bit a-kame?

I, Random, am the one you seek
The one kibbergah, nice and sleek
I slew the one thousandth gleek
Who yodeled 'cross the pleak.

I am the thousandth night (or Knight?)
Either way, I'm a nightmare fright
I gobbled down the snordy kite
And whittled on the flitting wight.

Harhar, 'tis me, the Flow'st, beware!
I could be here, there, blappabare
And die like a star-crossed applepear
The Flow'st, so Random, so bloppy fair.

Luckily, I ain't yet dead,
I'm still a-standing, my enemies fled!
Harhar, 'tis me, the Flow'st, a phed!
I'm still a-standing, my enemies dead!

Enemies, you say? Why, the bliperbop,
The sniggergnat, the flipping flop!
The incorrigible, flaky, flatfacefop
And the rabbits, those flickypop!

Aye, the rabbits, but they are yet alive
Buzzing about, in their little hive
Ah! Here they come!  Now they arrive!
Flee, little plop, flee to survive!

I shall stand here yet, the Flow'st, beware!
I shall stand fast, with really cool hair,
Waving on the wind, halla, hafaire!
Beware, O Rabbits bad, beware!

--

^^He has really cool hair.

When this post is published, the fate of the poor Flow'st may be up to speculation.  But, at any rate, all will agree: something must be done.  The rabbits are multiplying.  Tensions are high.

What shall be done?  Who will stand against them and defend the Flow'st?

Who will do it?

NOTE: This post was written under the influence of the heady TATTHTI song.  Writing under such influence may cause random splots and random poems, as well as bad grammar and senselessness.  You have been warned.

--

Jake

Another Interesting Verse

I was reading in Acts again, today, and I found another interesting verse I thought I'd share.  Acts is an awesome book, and the last six chapters read like a condensed suspense novel.  Ever noticed that?  Conspiracies, attempted assassination or murder, court hearings, unfairly imprisoned characters...

Anyway, here's the verse. Acts 21:37-38.

"As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, 'May I say something to you?'

'Do you speak Greek?' he replied. 'Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?'"

Apparently the poor commander mistook Paul for an Egyptian terrorist.  Oops. ^_^

--
Jake

Teleportation?!

I found this verse the other day, and found it very interesting.  So, seeing as it was an...interesting verse, I thought I'd show it to you and see what you readers think. The passage is Acts 10:39-40.

"When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea."

Teleportation.

In the Bible.

Beam me up, Jesus.

(Note: I have very little idea what that Star Trek phrase means, as I've never seen Star Trek.  But it seems to fit.)

--
Jake

This Post is....Nameless

The breath of the cold wind breezed into the house, slithering to my toes and biting them with its chill.  My toes felt like they were freezing, and I realized why.

Someone had left the door open.

Again.

I wearily stood up, put my computer down, and closed the door, wishing my toes would warm back up.  But once they froze themselves, they didn't like to warm again.  Sometimes I wonder at things like this.  Why in the world would they not just warm up?

I had a couple pages pulled up on my computer.  The Underground.  Gmail.  Blogger.  I didn't really feel like clicking on any of them.  Nothing worthwhile was happening.  I had already checked all the blogs, read some threads, and read my email.

Chattering came in from the kitchen. There weren't any doors between there and the living room, so I could hear all the conversations.  We had guests over—Sunday house church. 

The blog post was published.  I stared blankly at the smudged computer screen.  Was I forgetting to do something?

Probably not.  I think.

The sun was hiding behind a couple of clouds, I noticed.  It had been rainy earlier, but I could see some stretches of bluer sky in between patchy grey clouds.  But I could only see some of the sky.  The neighbor's house and some of her trees were blocking the view.  The view out the window looked a little wavy though....The grill must be on, causing the heat.

I smelled the air appreciatively.  Food!  Chicken, I think.  Grilled chicken—that must be why the grill is on.  And tortilla chips in the kitchen.  I could hear Mom pouring them in a bowl.  There will probably be salsa to go with them—I hope Mom got out some homemade salsa.  It's hotter than the regular stuff.

I stared at the computer screen a moment more, absentmindedly wiping some dust off the screen.  Mom was calling me to come and eat.  Had I forgotten anything?

Oh, yeah.  I hadn't written a blog post for Pen in my Hand.  Oops.  I'll have to do it later.

I got up to eat. Dad brought the chicken in, so the smell was stronger.

A blast of cold air hit me.  Someone had left the door open.  


Again.