Introduction
Inspired by the legendary Paul Harvey, you know the news. Now, it's time for the rest of the story. Welcome, dear reader, to the 134th entry in the Family topic section on the summer solstice.
First, we glimpse at and comment briefly on recent news. Quickly thereafter, we shift our focus to the rest of the story. I know how to train my dragon! I learned last Saturday, June 14th.
The above image looks a little like my dragon. Mine weighs about 60 pounds, has wings, and can fly. Believe it or not!
The News
Last Saturday, the 14th of June, was Flag Day. Also, the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army was celebrated on that day. Further, last Saturday happened to be the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump. Finally, organized and so-named “No Kings” protests and marches were held on that Saturday. One was held in Knoxville, Tennessee. Thankfully, we didn't see it.
In other news, arranged and recent protests and riots against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency seem to be winding down. Properly, ICE is arresting, detaining, prosecuting, and deporting illegal aliens. These illegals are known criminals, gang members, sex and drug traffickers, murderers, rapists, and such ilk. Last Friday, a dissent was held in Knoxville, Tennessee. One of my wife's first cousins attended. Why do liberals want to protect and keep these evil illegal aliens in this country? Their mindset makes no sense to anyone with common sense.
In ongoing war news, the Russia-Ukraine war (which started on 2/24/2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine) is continuing at its slow and destructive pace. The Israel-Hamas war (started when Hamas attacked Israel on 10/7/2023) seems to be doing the same. More recently, since last Friday, a missile war has erupted between Israel and Iran. Thankfully, antisemitic protests and riots seem to have died down, at least for a while. Can't Slavic brother nations learn to get along? Why can't Israel defeat Hamas, backed by Iran, and now Iran itself quickly? Total war, not a politically correct war, is the solution.
Further, in tariff news, President Trump seems to enjoy watching the stock market rise and fall, based on his hodgepodge, ever-changing decisions on tariffs. Mr. President, make deals with other nations that eliminate or reduce tariffs on U.S. exports. Incentivize national companies through tax breaks and such to start up production here to reduce imports from other nations. Your “this tariff, no that tariff” game that you are playing makes no sense.
Finally, in federal “money tree” spending news, President Trump's so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” plans to somehow reduce federal spending while raising the national debt. What? I have glanced at what I call the Big Behemoth Bill. Since the executive and legislative branches of the federal government are under Republican control, one would think that these so-called fiscal conservatives would find ways to shrink federal spending and keep it in line with federal income. It takes guts. Will they do it? When pigs fly backward, south for the winter.
That was a glimpse at and my brief commentary on the news. Now, it's time for the rest of the story!
The Rest of the Story
Do you have a dragon? Would you like to know how to train it? If so, the rest of the story is for you, dear reader. We begin with the preliminaries about the movie theater. Afterward, I will explain how I learned to train my dragon.
The Preliminaries
Our financial software record indicates that the last time that my wife and I saw a movie at a theater was on Saturday, July 7, 2012. Our niece, the daughter of my wife's sister, 24 at the time, attended with us. We saw The Amazing Spider-Man, another reboot of that series. As an aside, how many Spider-Man movies have there been? Research indicates three in the late 1970s and eight from 2002 through 2021. That's amazing, with an apology for the pun!
Last Saturday, who could get this Appalachian Irishman and his “long-suffering” wife to go see a movie at an overpriced multiplex theater in deep west Knoxville, especially when the showtime was at nine o'clock in the morning? Their just-turned 19-year-old niece, the eldest daughter of my youngest brother and his wife, could. That's who. Of course, her father, mother, and younger sister were also theatergoers.
Last Saturday morning, the weather seemed like a completely cloudy, very windy, and humid morning at a beach. Rain threatened but never fell. The afternoon became mostly sunny, hot, and still humid.
Bravely, my 2006 Frontier took us into deep west Knoxville, Tennessee. The Regal Pinnacle at Turkey Creek was the location. My youngest brother and family were already there when we arrived at about 8:55 AM. This was not like the now-demolished Roxy Theatre in my hometown! The Regal Pinnacle is a multiplex coliseum for movie connoisseurs. It is overpriced, but we can afford to go see a movie at a theater every ten or so years, if any new movies are worth watching. One ticket cost us only $12.99 plus sales tax. We bought two, of course. The price gouge came later at the concession stand.
Quickly rushing into the auditorium to find our family members, we sat down just in time for the start of How to Train Your Dragon (2025): The Live-Action Remake. The auditorium lights dimmed as we walked up to our seats.
But wait! We did not anticipate thirty minutes of commercials promoting other movies! My wife was thirsty and wanted lemonade, so I walked back down and out to the huge concession area. The congenial young man agreed with my idea that ham biscuits, hash browns, and coffee should be sold for 9 AM showtimes. The small lemonade in a large cup cost us $8.49 plus sales tax! Concession prices are still how movie theaters gouge you. Nothing has changed. By the way, if that was a small cup, a forklift must be needed to bring out a large cup!
How I Trained My Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is not animated. Real actors and actresses play real roles. I don't think, however, that the dragons were real.
Believe it or not, my wife and I have a real dragon that can fly! A male, his name is Ralph. Ralph flew into our lives a few weeks ago. Molly, our “old puppy,” and Ralph the dragon like each other. They play together often. Ralph weighs only about 60 pounds, so he can't fly me into the air like the dragons in the movie did for their human riders. Ralph comes and goes as he pleases. We do not own him. At times, we see him flying around other houses in our small subdivision and above nearby wooded areas.
I have been trying to teach Ralph, at my command, how to shake wings (well, my hand with his wing), roll over, sit, stand, and hover in the air before me. Watching How to Train Your Dragon (2025) taught me how!
Training my dragon includes four easy steps. First, you have to feed your dragon ample quantities of fresh fish. (I have been doing quite a lot of fishing lately.) Also, you have to touch your dragon on the nose (like petting). Thirdly, find the scratchy spot just under your dragon's chin and scratch it until his hind legs start to shake. You are well on your way to training your dragon! Finally, sleep under your dragon's wing after he has made a circle in the yard for his bed at night. I did that a night or two. My wife, however, has put her foot down against doing that herself.
So, dear reader, that is your four-step solution for how to train your dragon! It has worked for me. Ralph the dragon, at my command, now shakes wings with me (again, my hand and his wing), rolls over, sits, stands, and hovers in the air in front of me. Neighbors are jealous. They want their own pet dragons to train.
Conclusion
The plot to the movie How to Train Your Dragon (2025) begins with the generational conflict between Vikings and dragons. The chief's son and a dragon, however, befriend each other. Eventually, the Vikings and dragons unite, and in an epic battle, they kill the extremely large and evil queen dragon that was forcing the legion of smaller dragons to attack the Vikings. Once the queen dragon was dead, the Vikings and the dragons lived together in harmony.
Revelation chapter 12 depicts conflict between the woman and the dragon. Without diving into the exegetical depth of the chapter, verses 7-9 unfold the war between Michael, the archangel, and the dragon. The great dragon, Satan, who “leads the whole world astray,” is defeated.
The root to current national disunity and global conflicts is found in the great dragon, Satan. Nationally and globally, if everyone would turn to the Lord and follow the biblical worldview, the great dragon could no longer lead the world astray as he does now.
As in How to Train Your Dragon (2025), once the great dragon is defeated, those who once followed him will be released to live in harmony with those who were never bound by the dragon's fearful control.
Thank you, niece, for inspiring this article! How to Train Your Dragon (2025), despite all the excessive action scenes, has a good and moral theme and outcome.
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