Free like birds

In church this morning there was a song with lyrics about freedom. It reminded me of the three “non-churchy” songs that always pop in my head, two of which are about birds and freedom. What can I say, I love birds. But surprisingly, not one of the songs is “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Go figure! 

From singers you might possibly may have barely heard of before, here are three songs about wanting to be free.

Elvis Presley “I Want To Be Free”…

Sia “Bird Set Free”…

Queen “I Want To Break Free”…

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Do dogs know when they’re getting old?

I was petting and snuggling with my dogs the other day and thinking about when Piper the beagle was a puppy. This was before we got Asia the mix heeler beagle. So many afternoons Piper and I would run around the back yard chasing each other. Barking, tussling, play fighting. It’s been a few years since then and now Piper is content to sniff things, chase rabbits when she sees one, and be sneaky about snatching up people’s food if they leave it out! So I started to wonder: do Piper and Asia think about when they were young? Do they wonder about the future?

My best guess is that they think mostly about what’s going on right now. They’re always in the moment. They aren’t remembering when they were puppies peeing on the kitchen floor, running through the water at low tide, barking at other dogs at a Nashville dog park. Similarly, and unlike humans, I don’t think they’ve thought a single second about their age, what happens in the afterlife, or how they don’t move as quickly or playfully as they used to. Well, Asia still plays and runs around like a pup.

It makes me happy to know they’re living each day as if they’ll live forever. In their minds we are together now and for the rest of time. And ya know what, they’re right.

Together now and for the rest of time.

-Out of the Wilderness

Old Navy’s New Back-to-School Commercial – The Music

It’s that time of year again! Kids, parents, and money-loving businesses are prepping for “back-to-school” sales. Old Navy has a new ad promoting their must-have school items (although, don’t they just sell clothes?), take a look…

The Music. The soundtrack for this ad is a song called “Back With My Bestie (Best Day)” by All Talk. Here’s the full track…

Does the Old Navy commercial bring happy thoughts to anyone gearing up for a new school year? Chime in below! Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Pete Buttigieg Asks Companies To Build First All-Electric Ark

Washington, D.C. — “Rain, rain, go away” is the story around the country this summer. In unprecedented fashion, it’s been a wet few months from California to the Carolinas. “This type of precipitation has the power to change your vacation plans,” says U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “Roadways will become flooded, damaged, and left unpassable.” In efforts to combat the deluge, President Biden green lighted a project in which a Biblical-sized ark will be built. Buttigieg, who’s spearheading the transportation-related project, has called on all car manufacturers except Tesla to work on an electric ark that will reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

“Typically arks just float. But for this project we’re throwing out archaic thinking and bringing this boat into the 21st century. Think depth finder, Garmin navigation, and conveyer belts for all the animals,” said one CEO with a bit of levity.

In case of a civilization-ending flood, boarding the ark will be all kinds of creatures, two by two. Along with creatures like alligators, rattlesnakes, and lions, it’s been decided that the most dangerous creatures will be included on the ark as well– two Democrats and two Republicans.

-OTN News

A dream I keep dreaming

Last fall I sold the house I’d lived in for about 12 years. A lot of firsts happened there, and the house itself was a first– the first one I’d ever purchased. Great neighbors, decent neighborhood, close to everything from the interstate and groceries to dog parks and creeks. But as wonderful as it was, it was time for me to sell. Time to move on. Just tell my brain that, will ya!?

Somewhere deep in my mind there must be a connection with this home because I have a reoccurring dream and in it, I’m in the house even though it belongs to someone else. The dream goes like this: I’ve recently sold the house (just like real life) but then it goes in one of two directions. In one dream, I’m still in the house and the new owners could be there any minute to move in. I’ve still got stuff to move out and I have a certain type of anxiety about them arriving with me still there. In the second dream, I’ve moved out of the house completely but the new owners are away for a couple of days. I use the house while they’re gone and fear I’ll still be in the house when they get back.

Weird, huh? I haven’t researched what it could mean, just chalking it up to having good memories from my time in the house. But maybe there’s something deeper? If any revelations happen, I’ll be sure to post an update but for now I’ll just be thankful I haven’t dreamed of Taylor Swift in quite some time.

-Out of the Wilderness