By Joe McKenzie
Shock: I saw an American flag standing perfect and still as it hung from a flag pole on E. Ash on a 70 degree, no wind Tuesday afternoon. The key was no wind. The flag seemed to be in shock of a no wind spring day in Kansas. It’s a tough fabric that is made to handle the often raging winds and thunderstorms of our world. So, when it finally gets a weather break, it relaxes, like we would. It may have dreamed it was not in Kansas anymore. But, the gentle warmth of sunshine held a promise of calm and peace that is also part of the place where this flag flies.
Mo’ Blues: Buddy Guy sings a blues song by Albert King called Everybody Wants to go To Heaven. Of course, they do, at least their version. Makes me think of the great music that has come out of Blue Heaven Studios in Salina. Authentic. Nearly everybody wanted to go to that former church sanctuary to hear the blues. Is a church sanctuary always a sanctuary? The refrain in the song is that Nobody Wants to Die. So real and yet we know people hit a low point and do want to die. It happens everyday. It’s a paradox of life. In the art of the blues, we can find understanding of our personal blues in the music we hear. Music has power. In a church, music often has the strength to lift us up toward our own blue heaven while keeping us down to earth.
Toes: Have you ever stretched out in the shotgun seat of a teenage car and put your feet out the window? I saw two bare young feet feeling a spring breeze as the hand-me down car slowed to turn in to Casey’s. That’s an attitude. There is a felt freedom in relaxing to that extent. It’s a summerish gesture on a warm evening. I’m not sure it would be comfortable for many of us, nor would we want that image of wiggling our toes to the world, even if we knew it would help us feel our American freedom. However or wherever you put up your proverbial or actual feet, hope you can feel that empowering sense of freedom. And wiggle those toes!
Hear This: Heard a squirrel chattering from a tree, which often means there is a nearby cat. Very insistent. Made me wonder if a cat can tune it out to focus on something else, like a bird. It would be incredible focus. But, I didn’t learn that. In fact, white noise machines help cats in noisy environments. I did learn dogs can hear independently with each ear. Say what? They have 18 muscles in their ears so they can move them individually. They use that gift to pinpoint the location of sounds. Dogs can then track stimulation from two different sounds. Well, probably not all of them. Ever see a dog going around in circles?
Jack: Browsing the typical selection of American cheeses at DG on E.Iron, I wondered why the use of Jack in the name of Monterey and Colby. Doesn’t it sound just a bit better than regular Colby from Wisconsin? Add a sprinkling of jack and suddenly our nachos are spicier or more authentic. It was actually a guy named Jack who used to make a soft melty cheese in California. People wanted Jack’s cheese so much, it became the popular name, plus he worked out of Monterey. It still sounds better, like you are getting something more. And, we all want more cheese.
