Thursday, July 9, 2015

July 9 – “Bonus of all bonuses”

We were visited yesterday.  Not by some mysterious ghostly figure that seeped through the walls and wailed in the darkest corners of our back closet.  Nay.  This was an actual, real-time visit from some of our bestest friends in the world from Arlington, Texas – Cary and Kay Lynn Winkle.  It was rather confusing at first when they arrived.  There we sat, watching one of the Harry Potter movies, when we heard the unmistakable sound of the doorbell.  Now anyone who knows us well knows that around the Vaughan house there is little reason to ring the doorbell once you have been here once.  That means you are considered one of the family.  If the wooden door is open, come on in, holler out your welcome, and make yourself at home.  In this case, however, the Winkles actually rang the doorbell.  I don’t understand what their reluctance was.  Perhaps because they have been on a vacation swing through East Texas.  But come on … Cary helped build this house back after Hurricane Ike.  He chain-sawed trees and replaced siding and hung sheetrock.  This guy is a beast when it comes to the home improvement category.  He more than most should feel at ease coming through the front door.  And Kay Lynn has some of the most incredible flower-lip capabilities I have ever encountered.  She can come up with words of encouragement that make one feel absolutely wonderful.  Come into my house and start talking any time, Kay Lynn.

And it gets better.  Not only did we get to spend time hanging out with them, but they took us out for a seafood dinner at Jimmy’s on the Pier.  Fried shrimp and an array of delectable “local vegetables.”  I don’t know exactly what that means, though.  The only ones I know of on the island with a garden that could handle broccoli and squash like that are Ed and Pat Jackson.  I’m pretty sure it just means they bought it at WalMart, though.  Our waitress was the hit of the meal.  Donna was from Khazakstan (or however you spell it), and could speak four of the Eastern European languages.  I asked her how to say “rabbit” in one of them.  When I tried to pronounce it, she laughed at me.  Apparently what I said didn’t exactly mean the furry little long-haired Bugs Bunny that we all know and love.  She corrected me carefully, though.  She plans to learn Spanish next.  Know what impressed me most?  She said “Bon appetite.”  Not even one of her repertoire of linguistic accomplishments. I asked if that meant she was offering us a dog biscuit, because I didn’t really like bones.  After our meal we had a chance to walk around on the pier and watch people fish.  No major catches, though.  A whiting and a few hardhead catfish.

The bonus of all bonuses came after we returned to the house.  I took Cary out to the garage to show him my workbench.  Before we came back inside we had installed the new garage door opener and pulled down one end of our fishing pole creation.  Cary managed to get it screwed back up temporarily, but I’ll get some more permanent bolts later and redo it.  All we have left on the door is to install the wireless keypad and program it to work with door.  Oh, and find a place to store all the extra parts we didn’t use.  See, Cary and I have worked together many times in the past.  Our primary targets have been automobiles, but we are experienced enough to have contemplated starting a business called “The Other Side.”  That’s because we have discovered that the second side, for some reason, is almost always easier than the first side.  Thanks again, Cary.  Once again you have embedded your mark on our house.  You have permission unto eternity to enter without ringing the doorbell.

Isaiah 38:20 says, “The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.”


Father, thank you for Cary and Kay Lynn and for the connection of friendship we have had with them for so long.  Ride with them the rest of the way on their journey.  Amen.

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