Bailey is Back

Bailey got picked up this morning by his Vet and taken to Story City. It is pet dental health month and so both dogs are getting their teeth taken care of this month. Bailey's mouth was the worst so he went first (Even though Max's breath smelled the worst.

He got along fine and Max and I got along OK but I (at least) missed my little Daemon who is always with me. Brenda (vet) said that she would have him back at 5:30 so you can imagine how I felt at 6:10 when they had not appeared. I called and she was still in Story City. It would have been fine ordinarily but I had an appointment to meet a young man at 7:00 and I was afraid I would be late.

Well she made it and I got out to Battles Barbecue (the best in town) at exactly 7:00. Marty was there waiting for me and I was glad to meet him. He belongs to the Lodge in South Dakota and is attending Iowa State University to study to be a vet. Peter came out to meet with us.

About a month ago I got a telephone call from a Brother who belongs to a Lodge near Sioux City. He raises dogs. Guess what kind? You got it Yorkies. He has 13 of them that live with him and are his pets. One of the advantages of being Secretary of the Lodge is that you get calls like this and you can help out Brothers from all over. Anyway he called and told me about Marty and asked if I would contact him and help him to come to Arcadia. He is 19 and I think he will make a good fit with our Lodge while he is here in Ames. He is coming out to Lodge on Thursday Night.

Most of today was routine. I did get one interesting e-mail:

"Found the following paragraphs in Tolstoy's War and Peace. Once again, there is nothing new under the sun


He divided the Brothers he knew into four categories. In the firsthe put those who did not take an active part in the affairs of thelodges or in human affairs, but were exclusively occupied with themystical science of the order: with questions of the threefolddesignation of God, the three primordial elements--sulphur, mercury, and salt--or the meaning of the square and all the various figures of the temple of Solomon. Pierre respected this class of Brothers to which the elder ones chiefly belonged, including, Pierre thought, Joseph Alexeevich himself, but he did not share their interests. His heart was not in the mystical aspect of Freemasonry.

In the second category Pierre reckoned himself and others like
him, seeking and vacillating, who had not yet found in Freemasonry a straight and comprehensible path, but hoped to do so.

In the third category he included those Brothers (the majority)
who saw nothing in Freemasonry but the external forms and
ceremonies, and prized the strict performance of these forms without troubling about their purport or significance. Such were Willarski and even the Grand Master of the principal lodge.

Finally, to the fourth category also a great many Brothers belonged,particularly those who had lately joined. These according toPierre's observations were men who had no belief in anything, nordesire for anything, but joined the Freemasons merely to associatewith the wealthy young Brothers who were influential through their
connections or rank, and of whom there were very many in the lodge.

What is interesting about this is that I can see Masons of today as he describes them. Which category fits you?.

In other news:

I went to the foot doctor this afternoon. I have a sore on my large right toe. It has not been healing and I have been back several times. It has been bothersome as it has been bleeding. Today Dr. Sarintino took a tiny piece of glass out of the middle of the sore. It was about half the size of a grain of rice. We were both elated that he found it and now maybe the da*n toe will heal. I see him again in a month.

I did a bad, bad thing. I was at the grocery store and picked up some cookie dough. dough-biz cookies are now selling their cookie dough in tubes so that you can bake them at home. I got two tubes and I cooked one of them tonight. Garbage Cookies. A bad, bad thing. But oh my, they are good.

Bailey is leaning up against my leg and resting comfortably. He is glad to be home and I am glad to have him here. I made a new friend and brother and life is good. RYAL. Big Hugs, j-bear