Church Community

 

Shiloh

 

Shiloh was a small church community located in the Northwest section of Kit Carson County, CO.  The church still stands, in serious neglect and appears to of been abandoned more then 50 years ago.  Out behind is the graveyard, again neglected.  Weeds hide the markers and critters burrow here and there. 

It appears no descendents from the community still live in the area.  Steel pipes mark the edges of the graveyard to keep the farm from encroaching. 

The prairie winds flow unfettered thorough the roof and open windows.  Having withstood the elements over the decades the little tattered building is a reminder, when dreams and hopes filled the land.  Whispering winds filter through the open boards, rustling the memories of other times. 

Old farm machinery resides in the side yard

Old wooden plaster lath is revealed as time takes its toll on the church.

The out house has gone to rest in its repository.  

Among the weeds are a the few headstones.  

The Puffery of Guilt Mongers

 

20% of the children in the US are hungry.  Boy that statement will catch ones attention.  1 in 5 children suffer from hunger is the implication. 

When I first saw that I was angry.  Initial thoughts were, why the hell is that happening.  With all the government programs available, no one in this country should go hungry.  If a child is going hungry, some one needs to have a conversation with some parents.  I was a little put out and began to watch closely and see if I could notice thing to that effect in children in passing.

Then it dawned on me what they were talking about, people on food stamps.   Latest statistic is; there are 48 million people in the US on food stamps.  Using this, the group putting out the PSA, states that one in five children are going hungry because their parents are on food stamps.  What a stretch.  Here a country is being generous by providing tax funds for these families to have something to eat and a group is bending the spectrum to fit an agenda of shamefulness. 

This an example of how a stats can be distorted and have half truths added to generate shame in the hopes people will provide more to their treasury.  Shame is used by many to generate donations to their cause.  When on looks at these organizations, roughly 80% of the money raised goes to the administration of the group and the rest goes somewhere. 

then look at that figure, 48 million people on food stamps.  For a country that is pretty embarrassing to have that large of a percentage on government dole.  So I ask the question of the government, why have you failed these people that you have to give them a hand out.  Living on hand outs does not produce pride.

As a country is this something to be proud of?  Like it or not, it is a part of our legacy that the government has manufactured for us. 

Many will say, it is real easy to get food stamps, others say it is the illegals.  No matter, it is 48 million people that owe their existence to the government of the United States, because the country can not provide gainful jobs for them. 

Welcome to the new world of government slavery.  Freedom and independence leave when one has to rely on the dole to live. 

One in five children hungry……. hardly.  Because they are considered in poverty, they are considered hungry.  What an ugly label to put on someone. 

The message implies that the parent is incompetent.  Talk about a shameful label. 

Small Town America

 

Scattered across the land are a variety of small villages.  Many have disappeared into ghost towns or been absorbed into a metro-plex.  In my travels, I try to avoid the Interstate and travel the old two land black tops.  Time limits me on haw of these little burgs I can tarry in.  I enjoy the old store fronts, that classic brick buildings and their details and the occasional wood frame that is still standing.

The little towns reveal a character that is disappearing.  So many want big things, including big cities.  So the little towns get left behind, the politicians over look them and they struggle to live on.

What kind of stores were they?  Some are obvious because the sign is still there.  Others is left to the imagination.  The butcher, baker and candle stick maker all had shops.  There would have been harness shops, the livery, shoe repair, moving picture houses, boarding/rooming houses, the drug store and oh yes… the local greasy.

There is the trash barrel a burning, keeping the insects down and doing their earth day trash burning.

Then there is the junk collector, usually disguised as a repair garage and oh yeah, thing are repaired there.  Be prepared for lots of hot air ushering out when passing by.

Small towns operate at a different pace.  They are not toied to the hectic frenzy of the big cities.  Yet they keep their eye on the markets, pay attention to the news around he world and generally are pretty savvy of what happening.   They tend to be pretty independent and take care of themselves, democrat or republican. 

Most are prosperous and many are millionaires.  One thing is the work ethic, they work when it is time to work.  This is the pace the big city slickers do not understand.  For they tend to see them as laid back and moving at the pace of a snail.  Well if that what their crop is, snails, that’s how fast life moves for them.

Then there are the towns that are next to the Interstate.  No longer is there a town center.  Things have moved to the fast pace of the cross country slab.  The highway used to jog through town and business had sprung up next to the road to serve the traveler.  The Interstate left these places high and dry.  A few hang on and survive, clinging to a life dream. 

Yet as long as there are back roads I will travel them, peeking through a window in to a time that is disappearing. 

I will search out the buildings, watch the trains and enjoy the brief moments.  The pace moves with the balance of nature.  It is not forced, hectic and a person does not feel harried. 

As people insist on bigger things, cars, trucks, homes, stores… etc, the small towns will continue to shrink.