Watered Garden

I've always just been thankful God thought me worthy of His attention, no matter the how or the whatever. I never understood all that anyway. WG

I wonder if pepper spray on the little guy would help discourage him. WG

There is very little you can do to discourage them; they are cute but vicious and their droppings carry all kinds of nasty diseases. I second the suggestion of a professional, or at least checking with Fish & Wildlife in your area to determine proper disposal; relocation via a Have-A-Heart trap or something more drastic. WG

You need a different church, or this church needs a different pastor, or both! And NO it's not ethical. WG

Sounds genetic.

All I wanted to be was Mrs. Garden at the end of it all. Went to Athens where we were recommended to be twig area coordinators, but a little 7th WC snot on his interim year was sent there instead. Put up with his dang for a year, got a 6th WC grad to make our lives miserable (DON'T glom onto someone's spouse when they've only been married for a year and I'm NOT about to share) and Mr. Garden graduated and we moved to FL.

As far as HEW, I remember vaguely something about renal failure. Maybe he had type 2 diabetes I know someone who was in Indy at the time of his demise. I'll write and see if she knows. WG

Yeah, it was interesting. It was in the middle of our first year that it was announced that the goal VP set forth was for even the humble twig leader to be required to be a WC grad. Our principles were identical to WC principles. We did all this AND worked full time jobs. We had no say on who we roomed with, what and when we ate, were overseen to a fare-thee-well. I remember getting bytched at, um, make that reproved for tasting something I was cooking; "you are stealing food from your brothers and sisters." "No, I'm making sure it won't kill them." There was a huge diversity of individuals with different experience in different things. One soul unplugged a freezer in the basement to use a power tool, and forgot to plug it back in. This went unnoticed until someone later replugged it, only to have some of us fall victim to food poisoning later in the month. Even though a few made the connection, no apologies, but gee whiz, where was our believing? "Where was YOUR common sense? That freezer should have been examined and anything that could carry any kind of food poisoning discarded, the instant someone noted its unplugged state". I was sick for a week and passed out when I stood up to get on my running shoes at 5:30 am. My lovely little house leader could not believe I would let a briefly unconscious moment keep me from the morning run. I had been vomiting all night. So had several others; Waysider hopefully escaped that happy event, but may remember it in any event. I had no idea what I was getting into at the time, and when the FLO BL called me an "arrogant little bytch" I just stared at him in amazement. Should have given him a punch in the snot locker. The first house leader I had told me later she had made it her mission to "break me." Guess what? Didn't happen. I came there for the same reason I went out WOW, to serve God, not a ministry or a group of people. Marrying Mr. Garden was the best thing out of both programs; made all the pressure, rules, regulations and Swiss chard well worth it. WG Erkjohn, we were always glad you were our friend. WG

Seriously, I don't remember growing green beans at FLO. Squash, mustard greens and of course the delicious Swiss chard. I was never on the canning crew, didn't cook supper, and don't remmeber much about it. At least we got to eat what we grew and picked, even if we didn't like some of it. In Family WC, we came in for the harvest and canning (we had both learned about canning veggies by that time) but of course all the good stuff went to NK for consumption by LCM and his buddies. When it came to making salsa we were NOT to use any onions or garlic in the salsa. LCM loathes onions and hates garlic. I suggested we make a small batch for his exclusive use, give it a name like "El Presidente Salsa" or something, maybe, but it turned out that who in the he11 was I to LIKE onions and garlic in salsa if the greatest man of God who ever lived did not? They kept pigs, but we never had a barbecue, very seldom ate pork, a boatload of chickens and we did get chicken sometimes and had raised and slaughtered beef and we got none of that. The best meal we got was Thanksgiving dinner and later that night they told us to start packing as our son was not sufficiently intimidated to allow us to stay. I understand the BOD ate quite well, though. WG

Picked a gallon plus of green beans today in 90 degree weather. Thought how sad it was Waysider is missing all this fun! NOT!

I am so very sorry to hear this. I did not know this gentleman personally, but certainly enjoyed his posts. Dooj, especially to you and to Groucho, but to all of you my deepest sympathy. Watered Garden

I distinctly remember someone saying wild turkeys are shy and hard to hunt, and very smart. I don't know about the smart part but they raided the bird seed on the front porch railing last winter. That ain't shy, maybe just desperate. I've had several friends offer to "thin the flock" but they are incredibly beautiful creatures and I'm doubtful that's a good idea. WG

Those poor kids, never knew what hit them. They're probably in their early forties by now and I wish them well. WG

ClayJay has the chronology of Paula's names correct. Wigell is her maiden name. She was Paula Susan Wigell Burkey when we shared a house with her and Randy and a few others many years ago. WG

Been picking black raspberries twice a day, fighting robins, red-winged blackbirds and wild turkeys all the way. Also a very suspicious groundhog is hovering in the back 1 1/2 acres waiting its turn. A 20-pound cocker spaniel is no match for a 40 pound turkey. The lab, Sophie, would have had turkey dinner. The spaniel just looks at them as says "you better run; my boss is coming!"

Well, me, occasionally.

Well, you sure have my prayers! I'm so sorry for your loss and will pray for your family and for justice to be done. WG

Regarding copyrights, I do seem to recall being told that one of the original Joyful Noise guys left TWI and demanded they hand over the copyrights to everything he had written/performed, threatening a dandy lawsuit if they did not, and they did. But I never personally knew the individual, so that's just hearsay. WS

Mr. Garden, a jolly independent sort, never fell for the wheat berries and familia breakfast crap. He used his own money to buy the real stuff - bacon, sausage, eggs, pancake mix, whatever HE thought was a breakfast. The women's apartment where I resided was more like Waysider's experience. I don't even think we had coffee. When Mr. Garden graduated from FLO and moved on to real life, the coordinators of the food program, called appropriately, Manna (means "what is it?") were horrified to find several large bags of familia stashed here and there in the kitchen. When he shared this with me after we were married, I was horrified - no wonder he was cheerful in the mornings! WG

had to sit down to pee? ARE YOU MAKING THAT UP??? (I'm sure you're really not, I'm just stunned.) Donna was extremely upset because someone left a light on? She forget how to turn a light on and off herself? Does she think she's the friggin' Queen of Corn Country? WG

A LOT of conservative Christian churches teach all of the above, including the New Reformed churches. We have attended one church out of many that did NOT state that women were to keep their mouths shut (except for performing certain marital duties) and do as they were told. This was an American Baptist church and the pastor was a lovely young woman who was one of the coolest people. I don't know what our present church teaches, but Grace Brethren and Acts 29 (especially the latter) are pretty adamant about it all. WG

Sorta - Worked in a hospital where we had a really nice resident, guy from Egypt. The chief resident started calling him Beyotch. Once he finally figured out what that meant, he called the chief resident right back, but his Arabic tongue couldn't quite wrap around Beyotch, so Zeeyatch it was, and this became a department, and later a Watered Garden, favorite appellation. WG

During our indentured servanthood at FWC, the one thing I hated about the flossing thing, other than someone having the nerve to tell me how and when, was being on Curse Patrol and having to check the chart, never before midnight, but 12:30 or 1 AM, find the names of those who had not checked themselves off, and go wake them up and usher them down to the chart to check themselves off or floss if they had not done so. One guy in F19, Pete somebody, would just tap on the door and then go check them off themselves if they said yet. I wish I had not been such a weenie, because what I wanted to do on more than one occasion as I traipsed past the damn things, was to just check everybody off right down the line. I expect some of the more indoctrinated would have had a snit fit about it, but it sure would have been fun! Never started a journal because they said you had to keep it positive, and I couldn't think of one single positive thing to write. "I hate this place! It is sucking the life and love right out of me!" "My twig coordinator is a snobby zeeatch!" The first several months we were cut off from the world and immersed in indoctrination, so exhausted we couldn't even wonder what was happening. I never knew about the US Marines murdered in Mogadishu, or that there even were Marines in Mogadishu, until the motion picture "Black Hawk Down" came out. I resented that. We could/should have been praying for our armed forces, and a lot of other stuff, too - "The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." But no, we just prayed for the Man of God, which he wasn't on either account. WG

In the sweet bye-and-bye when every tear is dried. thanks Exxie for posting this. WG