Monthly Archives: January 2026

When the Lady of the North Comes Down to Dance

She brings her own music. She comes and goes – and stays – whenever and wherever she will. It’s her orchestra, her production, and she ever compels some of us to join her dance, no matter what our plans might have been otherwise. When the lady of the north visits, we drop whatever we are doing to embrace her frigid melody. We break out our heaviest parkas, lug heavy bags of wild bird seed, to prepare our very lives around her stay. We quickly learn all the steps to dance with her once again.

Today is the onset of the big winter storm the weatherman has been telling us about and here in the Ozarks it’s 3F and snowing. My daughter and I brought in lots of firewood over the last few days, so we should be about as ready as we can be. I have to go up the hill to the chicken and goat pens and take them water and do it a couple of times today because it freezes so fast in this cold. We must always accommodate the lady.

Sometimes I watch You tube videos of those country folks over in the Russian north and it’s amazing to me that even the old folks living alone in that climate can manage as well as they do. I guess if it’s all they’ve ever known it’s just a way of life, but still, it speaks volumes for the character and resilience of those people in that they survive, even thrive in that cold and ice. Here in the US, we get all freaked out over a cold spell that would actually be warmer weather than what they experience every day in the winter. I mean, it’s 3F here and we are pretty much at a standstill, and in Siberia -40F is the norm. Say what you want about Russian people, but I have a ton of respect for their tenacity.

I suppose that us folks here in the Ozarks could compare in some ways to those Russian country folks in that we are mostly dispersed around the country and the backwoods and do a lot for ourselves, cutting firewood, growing gardens, and tending the land, but we still are able to jump into the car and make a run to Walmart when we run out of something or other, but those folks on the Siberian Taiga don’t have that luxury. Still, I sometimes find myself in envy of them for what they are able to do to survive even though it has to be a tough life out there.

Image result for free pics of winter cabin peasant life on the taiga
Image result for free pics of winter cabin peasant life on the taiga

Another thing that catches my eye in those Russian back country videos is that those folks in the Russian Motherland invariably have tapestries, portraits, or other images of Jesus hanging in their homes, and they are not the least bit shy of showing them off. They seem to be a very religious people and that’s refreshing to someone who is a believer but is used to living in a society that seems to be losing it’s spiritual footing.

As the lady chooses her partners – for now it looks to be the people of the southeastern US – even though we try not to make eye contact with her, it’s of little use because she always knows with whom she will dance and weather forecasters are getting pretty good at figuring out just who will have to take the floor and who might be able to sit this one out. Alas, it’s our turn this weekend, so we might as well get the shovels ready and put out lots of bird seed and get dressed in our finest insulated coveralls for the ball.

Here’s a little bonus for the cold spell:

When the Lady of the North comes down to dance

Lookin lovely in her white chiffon and riding on the wind

Her entourage of snow clouds thrill the heart

Creatures of the woodland pause and wait with bated breath

Her icy embrace when those north winds start

                                                    (but for the grace of winter coats they’d chill the very essence of the heart)

When the Lady of the North arrives at last

Light a fire and keep the cabin warm; it’s best she stays outside

To play among the barren trees in snow

And whisper songs of icy stars in vales of moonlit peace

O’ hear them in the trees as cold winds blow.

                                                 (songs of stars and moon above and creatures in the snow fall down below)

Now the Lady of the North comes around each year

She sends the geese south on the wind to herald her return

She always seems to make it ‘ere the Yule

And Christmas wouldn’t be the same without her frosty air

And children singing carols after school.

                                                (walkin’ in the snow and singing carols in the merriest of moods)  Jingle Bells…

When the Lady of the North’s been here a while

And we’ve heard the red bird sing its song and watched the waxwing fly

And she’s dusted all the holly trees with snow

Her work won’t be complete until the lake is frozen o’er

And young ones with their skates away will go.

                                                (and spend the day on ice in awe of every wonder in this world of snow)

To the Lady of the North all bid goodnight

And sit around the fireplace while she howls outside the door

Telling stories of how reindeer learned to fly

And little ones with sleepy eyes get tucked into their beds

To dream of Christmas Morning’s pumpkin pie

                                                (the Lady of the North keeps dancing in the ice cold winds that blow outside).

Mike Kitchens

18 December 2016

So stay warm as best you can and only dance with the lady when you have to, and by all means get back inside and warm up at every opportunity.

MK

Wintertime Walk on the Farm

It’s cold outside today, but after seeing what those poor folks over in Kamchatka are having to endure, I guess we here in the Ozarks should be thankful. There are news reports (with video) about a major snowstorm over there and it’s spooky to see how much snow they got. There are drifts that reach the tops of what look like 5-story buildings. People are digging cars out from what look to be 10-15 foot high snowbanks! Some of the more daring youngsters are filmed jumping from 4 or 5 story windows into snow piles drifted up against the buildings and they completely disappear into snowdrifts. Somehow they crawl out, presumably to do it again, but I don’t think the thrill would be worth the effort to dig out for me.

courtesy Firstpost – Kamchatka – Can you believe this much snow from one storm?

Back here in the Ozarks, I took my pups, Little Britches and Number One, out to play on the iced-over pond and they had a blast. Cold doesn’t seem to bother them at all, even though they’re mostly house dogs.

Britches took to the ice fine, but Number One was a bit shy of it.
One of the barn cats joined us for the walk.

These two doggies are pups from my late old girl, Dusty. They are six-years-old now and I had to suffer the heartbreak of losing their mother (and her brother, Chewy) last September. My regular readers will remember a couple of posts during that depressing time. I sort of made a little pet cemetery in which they are buried along with the ashes of some earlier dogs we’ve had to part with.

Now I just have these two villains and they are a handful.

Britches with her fancy blue merle pants.
Number One running in the cold field.

We’re hanging together here on the old farm in the Ozarks, a world away from the darkness that seems to be overtaking the world. So far, we’re little affected by the world’s troubles, but like the shadows of Mordor, the evils of the enemy will surely get here too. We take refuge in the promises of the Lord, so when the time comes that the darkness does get here, we are prepared to face whatever the enemy throws at us. Jesus is a mighty fortress in times of despair and if you haven’t learned of Him yet, you have no idea how much you need to. Things are getting bad and Jesus is the only Way to emerge victorious over the malevolence Satan has in store for the world. [John 14:6]: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Y’all enjoy the rest of the winter as much as you can.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father see us through the dark times ahead.

MK

The Solution to Whatever Threat Awaits

It’s early in the morning here in the Ozarks and unusually warm for mid-January, but this has been an unusual winter so far. Still, I enjoy this kind of morning because along with the unseasonal temperature, there’s a fog hanging outside – it’s quite damp and raw – not unpleasantly so, and it’s inexplicably quiet. Maybe this is the calm before the proverbial storm, who knows? We’ve all been hearing the incessant beat of war drums for some time now, the president has even unleashed the war hounds, albeit half-heartedly (thank God), in Venezuela and keeps threatening to wreak havoc in Iran, but as of this writing no bombs nor missiles have been launched there. As for myself, I much prefer the eerie quiet of a foggy January morning in the Ozarks over what could otherwise be happening in some places.

Then there’s the ubiquitous threat of earthquakes and volcanoes – especially volcanoes – which have become a daily part of our lives. There’s a new one, Mount Mayon in the Philippines, that has awakened and it seems to be particularly ominous, at least according to the press it’s getting. There are others, and quite a few of them; Semeru in Indonesia, Mexico’s Popocatepetl, Taal in the Philippines, Aso (Japan), Hayli Gubbi (Ethiopia), Etna (Italy), and many, many more. There are a couple of big ones on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia that are firing off, and lest we forget, Vesuvius and the ominous Campi Flegrei, both within a few miles of each other in Italy are increasingly rumbling to life – either or both of these could adversely influence the whole world’s climate for an extended period if they were to have significant eruptions – especially Campi Flegrei the super volcano. In addition to the climate catastrophe threat, if Vesuvius and Flegrei both were to blow at the same time, there’s a chance that hundreds of thousands, maybe even several million people could be vaporized instantly!

As if the geological threat of volcanoes wasn’t enough, many places in the world are currently being deluged with severe flooding and others with unheard-of snowfalls. Some scientists are theorizing that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) which, among other things, is responsible for the Gulf Stream which helps to moderate the climate of Eastern North America and Western Europe, might be significantly weakening. This would be nothing short of catastrophic for a European continent – especially without Nordstream gas lines from Russia. If I were Merz, Starmer, or Macron, I’d be speaking to Vladimir Putin on a whole ‘nuther level as far as their bellicose attitudes have been. Those pipelines could be restored, and with less hostility and more amicable overtures, Russia might be willing to forgive some of their lunacy and help Europe stay unglaciated during the absence of a Gulf Stream. Do not look to western energy conglomerates for help – those guys could not care less if the European continent freezes if keeping them alive threatens profits. That’s why the pipelines were blown up in the first place, and everyone knows it.

As far as warnings go, we have had prophecies in the Bible from hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago which all point to some horrific times to come upon the earth, especially as the age of the human being winds down. There are lots of people who try their best to decipher and interpret Bible prophecy, but I really don’t believe any one of them possesses the gift to accurately nail them all down. Nor do I believe anyone will – most of the prophecies will be fulfilled and only discerned to be so as they happen – for many reasons, but mostly because of media narratives and or popularly accepted notions that have dubious origins.

One example of what I’m talking about is – and it’s really a big one – that the “return” of “Israel” to the holy land signifies the beginnings of fulfilled prophecy. I remember when I was a kid someone came up with an erroneous interpretation of the fig tree starting to leaf out as being the restoration of Israel by the “Jews”. If one were to say, actually believe what Jesus Christ, the greatest Prophet of all time, said, those people who have moved into the holy land are not Jews, i.e., descendants of Jacob. The people who occupy the geographical nation of Israel are descendants of Eastern European peoples who have nothing to do with Abraham, except that they have arrogated to themselves the identity of the Jew. I’ve heard that DNA tests are not allowed in Israel for fear of revealing this. Since the modern-day inception of “Israel”, all Israeli leaders have changed their names from whatever European monikers they were born with to names that sound Hebraic. For example, the Polish Benjamin Netanyahu’s name was Benzion Mileikowski. The people who occupy Israel today are not Jewish! Therefore, any interpretation of Biblical prophecy that is based on “the children of Abraham” “returning” to the holy land, cannot be viable and that disposes of most “preachers'” interpretations. As stated, the truth (of the occupants of Israel not being Jews) comes from none other than Jesus Christ Himself!

From scripture, it is obvious the people who occupy the land that was once promised to “God’s people”, as Jesus made perfectly clear, are not Jews. [Revelation 3:9]: “9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie —indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you”. This mistaken belief also negates current interpretations of other prophecies such as the one that refers to the Gentiles trampling the outer court [Revelations 11:12]:”But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” If one were to assume the folks over there who call themselves Jews are thus, this would seem to omit them from the Gentiles, but the fact is the people who call themselves Jews are not Jews at all, so this part about the Gentiles is referring to them treading the Holy City underfoot.

The above examples were used only to demonstrate how people, especially those who presume to be preachers, get interpretation of prophecy wrong from the “git go”, so just imagine how many others are wrong too. Then it becomes pretty easy to see just how difficult it really is to figure it all out. The truth is not too many of us have any idea of how things are going to play out, but there is one thing that will never be wrong, and it cannot be. If we place our trust in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, then no matter what happens – no matter how things develop from here on out – we have nothing to worry about for we have His mighty hand of protection over us.

This post is not saying things won’t get really bad and that we won’t come to a bad “end” in this life, but it is saying that once this stage of our existence is finished and we get through that narrow gate, our problems are over and at last we will be free to enjoy true happiness for all of eternity. Even if we have to go through some tough times before this life is over, He has promised that He will be with us and never forsake us through it all. I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t think of a better companion to be with me, even if my end happens to be in a major volcanic eruption or if I have to get washed away in a flood, I know He’ll be there with me, and that’s all I need to understand.

The worries of this world grow more and more ominous as we near the end. There are certainly wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, and other dark threats to humankind. That is precisely the way the enemy wants us to feel. He wants us to lose hope, give in to fear of horrible things happening, and even though this post mentions a lot of them, the bottom line here is that, yes there may well be some tough times ahead, but with our hearts and minds set on Jesus Christ, we need not fear what might happen. He knew these things would come about – He warned us of them – but His message is that we have hope as long as we hold onto Him. We might see the dark things coming, but we as Christian believers have no reason to fear them – in fact if we do, we’re playing into the enemy’s plan. Conversely, if we refuse to fear the things that are coming, we can have victory over him.

It is my sincerest hope that the reader will take away a message of hope from this post. Jesus is not delaying His return for no good reason. He awaits the completion of His harvest and none of us knows when that will be. We have no idea of who that last person will be to accept the eternal life that Jesus so graciously offers, but when it happens, things will be finished here. Stop worrying so much about what else you might be able to accomplish here as far as worldly achievements go, for everything here will be burned up (in volcanic eruptions?) and the only thing that will remain will be our record of service to Him. Get on the right side of Jesus Christ while there is time, it’s growing short.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find us and be upon us as our time here is ended.

MK

Emptiness of the Church – and the Heart

I don’t believe that in their hearts, MAGA people are inherently evil, but I do believe the vast majority of them are incredibly ignorant. I also believe this ignorance is part of their psyche by choice. I believe that given a sane and stable society, most of those MAGA grandmas would be much happier making apple pies and tending their flower beds, but after devouring too much Mainstream News rubbish, they allow their interests to be hijacked. Sure, most of them are social conservatives and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing in itself, but to allow media propaganda narratives to leverage that conservatism to seed anger and hatred into their hearts is to begin a journey down a dark road.

Many conservative Americans rightfully believe in God, but too many of them allow men of ill intent to interpret the Bible to them instead of reading it for themselves. If a person chooses to live his/her life according to the Scriptures, they most often find themselves at odds with what these charlatans teach. It’s a choice a Christian has to make, and I fear that choice is behind all of the empty pews in silent buildings once teeming with parishioners. Following the dictates of demonic entities who have invited Caesar into God’s domain, that is allowing politics and the social divisions that result into the discourse of church doctrine perverts the intention of Christ’s covenant.

Although keeping watch on whatever politics arise in society is necessary for all of us, we should not feel compelled to join any faction that comes along, no matter what “God-approved” message they might offer. We’ve seen the tea-bagger movement come (and go), promising an American conservative, back to our roots return to good governance, when it was actually another of a long line of vote-grabbing emptiness, but the ignorant faithful eagerly jumped aboard, just as they have clambered over each other to get onto the MAGA train, which again will lead to nowhere, but the excitement of some new movement seems to win the day every time, always ending up with the same results. Most folks never catch on. And more empty churches come to decay as we come to realize we’ve once again abandoned God for Caesar, and once again to no avail.

Whether or not we like the facts of the matter, we are creatures who are prone to carry massive baggage of fear and/or hatred in our hearts. Satan knows this and is ever watchful of any opportunity to exploit such weakness. Jesus has warned us of this threat; we have to be mindful it’s there. If we carefully watch the news of the day and all of a sudden there seems to be an inexplicable rise in black on white crime, or incessant news articles about white police officers brutalizing black or Hispanic people, you can almost always understand that division is once again being sown, usually to distract us from something that might actually bring such groups together for a common cause – always for the benefit of Caesar. Satan owns Caesar and he always has.

As of today, Caesar has come to us offering everything he knows we want and/or need, but this offer was strictly to get himself into a position where he can further enrich his fellow demon-possessed globalists who have all sold their souls to do the bidding of Satan. Caesar is setting up his final fortress, a system whereby he intends to control the very thoughts of every human on earth. MAGA was the tool this one used to slither into power, and it was the witless MAGA voters who put him there. The man is possessed by Satan, a hapless individual who in reality is no more than a New York City real estate con artist who has been able to gain the support of the ignorant by his cunning learned from the wealthy fraudsters of the city who routinely defraud everyone with whom they have dealings. People who believe in this “Caesar” do not read their Bibles, or if they do, they haven’t been gifted with the discernment to actually realize what he is. Everyone in their right mind knows he is a murderer – google Venezuelan boat attacks or the ambush assassination of General Soleimani. Everyone knows he is a liar – in fact, every word that comes out of this man’s mouth is a lie – he simply cannot tell the truth. He is given to a reprobate mind in that he actually believes – or seems to believe – his own fables. He believes he can create an ornate world to live in, a world that the presidency of the US was never meant to merit. If y’all keep on believing this pathetic creature is a mighty man of God, you do so at your own peril.

What I see happening in these end days is that the hearts of the people are being revealed. Folks can no longer in good conscience hide in the Church house on Sunday mornings so as to pretend they are faithful servants of Jesus Christ – the intents of the hatred and racism in their hearts are now so openly revealed to themselves and to the world that this is no longer possible. Thus, the empty pews – they’ve all gone to follow Caesar. Remember at the crucifixion, the people said [John 19:15]; “But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” By leaving their faith to join MAGA and follow Trump and become part of the hatred and vitriol that ensues, they choose to crucify Christ once more and follow Caesar.

It’s not just MAGA, these same people have been prone to follow any movement that comes along that allows – promotes – them to express their hatred for the “other”. As they bend to politics, they leave the faith. The Bible accurately predicted that this would happen in the last days. Now we see it. They’ve finally stopped pretending to be the faithful.

Keep an eye on politics but stay away from them. Satan is very cunning and knows exactly how to leverage every tendency we have, and politics is his tool of choice. Jesus promises us that He will stay with us if we but stay with Him. We cannot do that if we choose to join political movements and follow Caesar. We should be trying to get those churches full of faithful servants again.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us and may Jesus’ Church withstand Caesar’s onslaught.

MK

Where to Go When the End is Upon Us

Here we are folks, on the fourth day of this new year and things are about as dismal for the country – indeed for the whole world – as I’ve ever seen in my 72 and 1/2 years here. As of this post California is enduring some of the worst flooding and coastal erosion they’ve ever had. The Pacific Ocean seems to have declared war on the whole west coast. Even as far up as Alaska, there have been record snowstorms that have actually dropped so much snow that sailboats are sinking in harbors from the sheer weight of the accumulations.

Arrival of heavy rain means risk for structures, boats and avalanches ...

The north central parts of the US are experiencing snow squalls and blizzards the like of which have not been seen in our lifetimes. The UP of Michigan, and much of the rest of the state are buried in feet of snow, as are Upstate New York and other areas around the lakes. For some odd reason(s) no one seems to be able to explain, the water level of Lake Erie is dropping drastically.

Lake Erie lowest water levels, seiche

In other parts of the world, the massive time bomb of Campi Flegrei in Italy keeps cooking inside and raising the land of Pozzuoli as it threatens to explode in what might be a cataclysmic super eruption. If it goes off, no one knows how much of the western flank of Italy will be obliterated, nor what effects it will have on the rest of the world. Volcanoes, many of which were deemed to be dormant have exploded with unexpected eruptions. There have been some 60 eruptions around the world in the past year. Many extremely powerful eruptions such as the Hayli Gubbi in Ethiopia, the big volcanoes in Kamchatka, and Sumeru and others in Indonesia are currently erupting or have recently. I’m no geologist, but if the Tambora eruption of 1815 could create atmospheric conditions that caused an entire year without a summer, is it too farfetched to imagine that dozens of big volcanoes going off simultaneously such as are today might do the same thing? Might that be why we’re seeing such extreme winter weather in the northern US, Europe, and Russia?

Image result for free pics of volcano eruptions
Image result for free pics of volcano eruptions

Widespread droughts, such as the ones in the southwestern US, Iran, and places in Africa are making water a valuable resource. Rivers around the world, many being lifelines through nations, are drying up at a phenomenal rate. Even the Mississippi has seen periods in recent years where it has become unnavigable for the volume of traffic it has served. Perhaps runoff from the voluminous snows in the high Sierra this winter will help with water shortages next spring in Lakes Mead and Powell, but that’s not a permanent solution for the huge requirements of agriculture out west that keep increasing with populations.

Light colored “bathtub ring” around the edges of Lake Mead as the water level drops

As if weather-related or other natural phenomena weren’t enough to foment worldwide pessimism, we also have war, pollution, and other man-made issues that do not bode well for humanity’s future. If a fraction of money and resources were dedicated to improving our lot as are to destroy each other’s nations and kill people, I have no doubt that mankind could drastically improve our collective world, but as long as wealth can be concentrated into the hands of the few who crave more and more, that’s not going to happen. The recent invasion of Venezuela in preparation for massive oil theft won’t be the last act in this production. Satan has a plan for all of humanity, and it doesn’t look good at all for those who opt to face the last days of our future without the benevolent guidance of Jesus Christ – rich or poor.

We have a great and passionate Savior who desires our fellowship and is willing to give us the support and compassion that will take us safely through these troubled times. He promises to give us rest, to give us a reason to hope, not especially for this time of trial, but beyond it. We too often make the mistake of imagining the end of this life to be a huge dark wall representing the end of all things, but there is hope on the other side and we need to be thinking about the other side of it and not about the piteous remains of this side. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that we are facing problems in this world that are of such monumental proportions that we cannot overcome them – neither the natural ones, nor the manmade. Jesus Christ promises that He has something reserved for us on the other side of the big fearsome wall. There is a gate through it, a narrow gate that we must direct all of our energy towards finding. It can be found, but only if we but listen and heed the words of Jesus, but if we continue to ignore His offer of salvation, there is indeed a dark future ahead.

As the darkness approaches, we have crucial choices ahead of us – we can continue to hope to survive whatever the world throws at us, but whatever existence we might come to, no one in their right mind could imagine it to be a prosperous, enjoyable existence. At best we might all become beggars or slaves, watching our loved ones perish for lack of food or medical help, or become tribal hunter-gatherers with hardly a chance at long-term survival, or we can resolve to follow the only One who offers us real hope of an eternal future. Jesus came to save the world, but only if we give Him the keys and let Him take us where we need to go. That’s the only way to real survival – in a very real paradise of eternal joy where there will be no worrying nor suffering of any kind. Jesus is preparing a mansion there for each of us who choose to answer His calling. [John 14:2-4]: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

With the condition of the world deteriorating around us like it is, it’s beyond irrational to continue to hope for things to get better here in the world, but if we set our sights on the promises of Jesus, we have every reason to hope for the (long-term) future. Get right with Him today – for a far brighter future than anything we can hope for here.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us as the time draws near.

MK