tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533056.post7314406425145625563..comments2023-08-26T08:53:31.388-04:00Comments on Smokey Mountain Breakdown: Snakes in a Church ~ Shall We Gather at the River?Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264435407129343604noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533056.post-89777714985015764622007-05-03T11:45:00.000-04:002007-05-03T11:45:00.000-04:00We paddled through the Biltmore Estate one day, an...We paddled through the Biltmore Estate one day, and then a nearby piece the next? <BR/><BR/>Beautiful country down there. TQ's sister & brother-in-law have the most beautiful place there. He's from there, she moved there - sounds like holidays are amazing the amount of family that gathers around.bonniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794351142636136626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533056.post-26749916575934887842007-05-03T11:05:00.000-04:002007-05-03T11:05:00.000-04:00Hey Bonnie,If you paddled the NC branch of the FB....Hey Bonnie,<BR/><BR/>If you paddled the NC branch of the FB...you were very close to where I live. That asparagus is planted. What most people call "wild asparagus" here is a different plant.<BR/><BR/>Hey Anne, yes...many people also do not know that 20 percent of venonous snake bites are "blanks", either. I think the thing that freaks me out more than the snakes...which don't actually freak me that much...is the drinking of "the deadly thing." Part of their system of belief involves not treating the snake bites. They do ask anyone who gets bit if they want to go to the hospital...but the "true believers" usually decline medical help.Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10264435407129343604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533056.post-51617372406407734762007-05-03T10:40:00.000-04:002007-05-03T10:40:00.000-04:00We at "The Gods Are Bored" heartily endorse any ki...We at "The Gods Are Bored" heartily endorse any kind of religious fervor that leads to good and righteous living. (We must add, admittedly snarkily, that neither a copperhead nor a rattlesnake bite is lethal unless administered to the jugular vein, provided that a hospital is in the same Zip code. Rattler bites do more damage locally to human musculature than systemically.)<BR/><BR/>None of this matters, of course, if the snake handlers actually believe they'll be killed if the snake bites them. Then they are truly working on faith.Anne Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18083739996560380258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533056.post-86235104938059545052007-05-03T05:49:00.000-04:002007-05-03T05:49:00.000-04:00A beautiful post Rosie. I, too, grew up with the ...A beautiful post Rosie. I, too, grew up with the Anglican flavour of Christianity. And I think I can tell from your post that I've missed something special. <BR/>I've always been interested in the ways people celebrate their faith. I'll keep waiting on your posts with much anticipation.Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16305318734965153962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533056.post-6180068453262699832007-05-02T15:49:00.000-04:002007-05-02T15:49:00.000-04:00When you first mentioned you would be writing abou...When you first mentioned you would be writing about this I refrained from saying "Wow, sounds like that scene from 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou'", because I thought that would be silly. But it is the best movie soundtrack ever. The baptism scene with the Alison Krauss hymn - I love that. Well, of COURSE I love a hymn that talks about going down to the river to pray. <BR/><BR/>Funny, the tambourines & singing remind me of Sunday morning - I was heading out to the club to finish off my raised bed & ended up walking down Flatbush Avenue right around church time. Now Flatbush is a powerfully Caribbean neighborhood & there are all these little storefront churches - and on Sunday every one was full up & island hymns & tambourines ringing out the doors...<BR/><BR/>total non-sequiter - HEY! I paddled a piece of the French Broad one time! It was a NC piece but same river. Pretty. Herons, and deer, and kingfishers. Pretty nice. <BR/><BR/>TQ's sister sent him an article a couple of weeks later - they'd found a little alligator in the river right around where we'd been!<BR/><BR/>Well, if you can handle snakes, I'd imagine a plain old alligator wouldn't be a big deal, right? <BR/><BR/>Glad you like my Ballad so far! I'm figuring that I will threaten 20 verses, and then I'll tell my Irish music friends that I will shave off a verse in exchange for...oh, I don't know, should I shave a verse for a pint, or should the price of one less verse be a nice single-malt? Hm. Don't want to sell them too cheaply...<BR/><BR/>And glad to hear you got some garden help. Looking forward to hearing how your garden grows. Hey, was that asparagus wild?bonniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794351142636136626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533056.post-70612968642117575112007-05-02T15:08:00.000-04:002007-05-02T15:08:00.000-04:00fascinating post---fascinating post---cmhlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01794651670716752863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533056.post-70890904941043633682007-05-01T20:22:00.000-04:002007-05-01T20:22:00.000-04:00What a wonderful post! I have went to one church t...What a wonderful post! I have went to one church that had snakes but it was stressful. Your church service sounded wonderful like it should be. I miss my mountain church.Peggyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16467921308987979013noreply@blogger.com