January 17, 2011
I was almost awake. Actually, I was in that hazy realm in between - where you're drowsily aware but not yet awake. I could hear birds singing outside my window; I could smell fresh coffee brewing; within the warm cocoon of my blankets even time stood still. And then, there was a tap, tap, tap on my shoulder and the distant voice of the Lady BG muffled by the covers, "I need Ladybugs."
I tried to pretend I didn't hear. I wanted to remain in that blissful realm, but little by little that phrase wriggled its way into my consciousness. I turned it every which way trying to make some sense out of what I thought I'd heard until finally I just poked my head out from under the covers and said, "Huh?"
"I need Ladybugs," she said again.
I rubbed my eyes and my face, and gave my head a good shake, and then I focused my gaze directly on her lips and said, "Say it one more time." And she did.
Patiently, slowly and in very small words she explained to me that the potted lime tree that we had brought inside for the winter had blooms on it, and if they weren't pollinated they would drop and not set any fruit. She needed Ladybugs to pollinate the blooms.
"It's January," I said.
Her silence and steady stare quickly told me that the month of the year had nothing to do with this discussion.
"You need them now," I asked with a little more whine in my voice than I intended.
The silence, steady stare and slight lift of her left eyebrow confirmed that she did indeed need them now.
While I was getting dressed I devised my Ladybug Acquisition Plan, or LAP as I decided to call it. As the plan came together I was getting pretty excited about it, and when I came into the kitchen a few minutes later I began laying it out for the Lady BG. "Okay, here's what we'll do. First, I'll go online and do a search for Ladybug suppliers. If there's one within a twelve hour drive I'll leave right after breakfast and have them back here tomorrow morning. If not, I'll pay to have them shipped overnight and either way we'll have your Ladybugs here by tomorrow evening at the latest. Sound good?"
"You could do that," she said with a smile. "Or, you could go out to the pump-house and get some. They gather there every winter. Remember?"
"Oh yeah," I said sheepishly.
She handed me a pint jar, reached up and pulled my face down to hers, gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and said, "You still get points for being willing to drive day and night to get them for me." And then, she shoved me out the door and into the cold.
I trudged up the hill to the pump-house feeling pretty silly about my LAP idea, and yet pretty good about getting points for driving twenty-four hours without ever leaving the house. I opened the door to the pump-house and sure enough there was a football sized cluster of Ladybugs in the corner. I gently gathered a few dozen into my jar, and was just turning to leave when a timid little voice from behind me said, "What ya doin'?"
Fraternally yours,
Tim Couch
Now, on with the news........................
Monday, January 17, 2011: Mt. Olive Lodge No. 439 will receive one candidate for the sublime degree of Master Mason in conjunction with their Stated meeting. Plans are to get started around 6:00 PM for dinner, meeting and degree work. All Master Masons are invited in.
Monday, January 17, 2011: Branson Lodge No. 587 will meet in Special Communication for work in the 1st Degree of Freemasonry. Lodge will be duly Opened at 7:00 PM.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011: Billings Lodge No. 379 will receive Gregory Fred Baysinger, a duly elected candidate, for initiation into the mysteries of Freemasonry. Dinner at 6:00 and Lodge will be duly Opened at 7:00 PM.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011: Bolivar Lodge No. 195 will (weather permitting) receive two candidates for the sublime degree of Master Mason starting at 5:30 PM.
Thursday, January 20, 2011: Henderson Lodge No. 477, 127 E Center, Rogersville, MO 65742, will host a Masonic Home Area Presentation beginning with dinner at 6:00. The presentation will follow at 6:30 PM.
The Masonic Home offers many great benefits available to Masonic Brothers, Sisters, wives, widows and family members. Family and friends are invited.
Thursday, January 20, 2011: Canopy Lodge No. 284, 107 N 3rd St. Verona, MO 65769, will meet in Special Communication for work in the 3rd Degree of Freemasonry. Lodge will be duly Opened at 7:00 PM and there will be light refreshments available. All Master Masons are invited and all assistance will be appreciated.
Friday, January 21, 2011: Sparta Lodge No. 296 located at 7702 State Hwy 14 E in Sparta, MO will host a Masonic Home Area Presentation tonight beginning with dinner at 6:00. The presentation will follow at 6:30 PM. All Missouri Masonic Brothers and Sisters, as well as family and friends are invited to attend.
Saturday, February 19, 2011: Washington's Birthday Celebration - Webb City Lodge No. 512, Mineral Lodge No. 471, Criterion Lodge No. 586 and Southwest Heritage Lodge No. 681 cordially invite you to the 96th Annual Celebration of Brother George Washington's Birthday. Breakfast will be served from 8:00 to 10:30 for $5, and Lodge will be duly Opened at 12:30 PM.
- The EA Degree will be performed by the Pittsburgh Lodge No. 187 Kansas Degree Team.
- The FC Degree will be performed by the Grove Lodge No. 187 Oklahoma Degree Team.
- The MM Degree will be performed by the Bentonville Lodge No. 56 Arkansas Degree Team.
For more information contact:
RWB John Kuehn ph# 417-623-8399 email: [email protected]
Secretary Gene Bass ph# 417-673-2291 email: [email protected]
As you can see there's lots of Masonry going on in Missouri. See the links below to keep up with the latest or to submit information for your upcoming meeting.
For help locating a lodge building visit the Missouri Masonic Lodge Map page on Masonsmart.com
Thanks for subscribing to Masonic News & Views. If you know someone who might also enjoy this newsletter just forward it to them or send them a link to the following page:
www.masonsmart.com/join-masonic-news-views.html
