Ron the Yarnspinner

Tonight, tonight, the plans I make, tomorrow, tomorrow, the story I create.  Though the tale will not win me fame still, Ronald Tragasz is my name.  No straw-like words made golden here nor little imp that I keep near to help me  write propitious prose of words that sing for glass beads or a ring.    

  “Go Ahead—Make My Day”: The Shepherd’s Watch   Here’s a little fodder for Trivia night:   On Sunday April 26 th the   Fourth Sunday of Easter, called Good Shepherd Sunday, we celebrate the Risen Lord as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Within the   landscape of Christian symbolism, few images resonate more profoundly than the tens of thousands of beautiful, metaphorical portrayals of Christ as the Good Shepherd But in biblical Israel, nomadic shepherds lived humble, demanding lives alongside their flocks, tending to their needs around the clock. It was far from easy — and hardly the serene, idyllic scene we often see. Shepherds   would guide their sheep by day to find food and water and watch over them at night. It was a 24 x 7   job. And the proverb “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make the horse drink” applied to sheep as well.   Just because a shepherd found a nice stream of running water for h...

  The Good Old Days   The Good Old Days……They were great, right?  We often think of them as terrific because we tend to remember the past fondly by focusing only on enjoyable experiences, creating a biased and often idealized version of what life was really like. Let’s look at air travel for example. You might say air travel in the 1930s was a glamorous and adventurous experience, offering a unique blend of luxury and novelty that captivated the imaginations of many. Unlike jumbo jets, 1930s air travel was characterized by smaller, more intimate aircraft, which often meant that passengers received a high level of personalized attention. Nice, but wait. Personalized attention? It was absolutely, because you needed it. Passengers commonly became ill during flights. Here’s why: Air Sickness: Passengers often experienced nausea and vomiting because early aircraft were unstable and there was no pressurization (Discomfort  bags are a standard item in seat pockets even toda...