THIS BEAUTIFUL photograph is of a chickadee

THIS BEAUTIFUL photograph is of a chickadee, of course. The small print, on canvas, hangs on the log wall just above my bed, and is pretty much the first thing I see most days. Which is good, because it reminds me of important things. It is a winter scene, and if you look very closely, you can see the tiny,

The Father of Waters is booming

THIS MORNING AT THE CHURCH O THE PINES, the Father of Waters is booming and cracking as new river-ice forms. In this warm open winter the making of ice has seemed less common than the melting of it. With the Church thermostat turned down for the moment the sounds of winter have returned. Even with the colder temps the sun

The Chickadees

The Chickadees

HERE AT THE CHURCH O THE PINES it is a gray, January day. Some might say gloomy. A layer of winter fog hangs over the frozen Church moat (Mississippi River) and the skies are leaden. But there is no hint of gloom among our congregation. The Blue Jay clan are in fine fettle (whatever a fettle actually is) and as