July 31 – “Just rest my eyes …”

Well, I had a bit of a scare yesterday.  After our morning walk I started in on some work, and Chris disappeared into the back yard.  Not an uncommon occurrence.  A while later I went out to check on the progress of whatever it was she was doing.  She was knee deep in clippings and weeds from the back flowerbed.  And she wasn’t even three feet in.  She was trying to reach some tall branches with the clippers, so I pulled on my shining armor, crawled up on my mighty white steed and headed to join her in her quest.  We spent the next few hours tugging and clipping and piling and tossing.

All was going well until Chris paused in the yard.  She reached for a branch that was still attached, but not to pull it down.  She needed something to steady herself.  She commented, “Whew.  I think I need to sit down,” and made her way unsteadily to the swing.  I immediately began extricating myself from behind the bush we had been working on so I could help her.  Once she sat down I’m pretty sure passed out, albeit it briefly.  I got her some water and a cool, wet washcloth.  She started to cool down, but the backyard project was a wash for the day.  We went on inside and had some lunch.

OK.  Scary enough.  She said the lunch helped a lot, but she still didn’t really feel so good.  I moved over to my recliner, and she crashed out on the couch to “just rest my eyes for a few minutes.”  Well, that extended to about four hours.  I was seriously all set to make some phone calls if she went on another fourteen hour sleeping binge.  After the nap plus the pancakes and bacon she subsequently made for supper, she said she was feeling much better.  We did take her blood pressure.  She is adjusting to some new medication.  It was indeed pretty low.  We’ll have to keep an eye on that if … no, when … she attempts her next backyard binge.  Personally I think the moral of the story is … Bacon – good for what ails you.

Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Father, please help out the docs and these new medications to get Chris’ blood pressure under control.  Amen.

July 30 – “aaaaaeeeee …”

The big news for today is another odd dream I just had.  It lasted a long time, but I can’t remember the entire first part.  All that I have left in my feeble old brain is an image.  In said image there is a young lady on a bed, obviously sick.  How do I know she is sick?  I have no idea.  It’s a dream.  You just know these things.   Relaxing in a recliner next to her is a young man.  He is in fact connected to her with tubes, and is in the process of giving her a direct blood transfusion.  OK.  That part is strange enough, but the reason I remember this particular portion of the dream is even odder still.  See, I didn’t recognize the young lady.  Didn’t even see her face.  But the young man I knew right away.  It was none other than … drum roll here … Arthur Fonzarelli (Not sure of the spelling there).  Yep.  Fonzie from the old TV show Happy Days was just chillin’ in the recliner as his blood flowed into the young lady’s veins. 

That’s when I woke up, so I have no update on the patient’s condition, or her identity for that matter.  So does that mean I need to pray for Henry Winkler?  Or maybe the unknown patient receiving his blood?

Oh, and just so you know … we changed up our routine a little yesterday.  We went early over to Randall’s.  There were not many people there, but the mask rule was definitely still in effect.  All we needed were some dog food and stamps and fruit and a few other assorted items.  We did walk the aisles to get some exercise.  And yes, we followed the arrows on the floor.  We are such rule followers, you know …

Philippians 1:27 says, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

Father, for whatever reason I guess I lift up Henry Winkler to you.  And any ladies he may be trying to help as well.  Be with all those suffering as a result of the Covid illness itself as well as the madness that has resulted from it.  Amen.

July 29 – “Wash. Rinse. Repeat.”

Our Corona-boredom days stretched into yet another repeat of oh-so many days gone by.  Take a walk.  Work at the computer.  Add some pieces to a jigsaw puzzle.  Watch the Astros.  Oh, we were treated to a real bonanza of excitement yesterday, though.  It rained.  Yep.  We actually got to watch liquid stuff fall from the sky and search out strange new rivulets of passage to the riverbed that is the side of our house leading to the street drain in front. 

Step, step, step.  Repeat.

Hunt and peck, letter, letter, enter.  Repeat.

One piece in.  Nope, not there.  One piece in.  Repeat.  Repeat.

Back to the typewriter.  Hunt and peck, letter, letter, enter.  Repeat.

Drip.  Drip.  Downpour.  Drip.  Drip.  Repeat.

At least last night there was some excitement in the Astros game.  Oh, they ended up losing to the Dodgers, but not after some questionable pitches were made and both benches and bullpens emptied.  A former Boston Red Sox pitcher thought it would be a good idea to throw a pitch behind Bregman’s head.  Then he threw several inside to Gurriel.  And the last straw was the one he threw at Correa’s head, forcing him to the ground to avoid being hit.  Correa ended up striking out, and then the pitcher made a sarcastic crack.  Correa responded.  So did “someone” from the Astros dugout.  The pitcher made a three-year-old’s ugly face toward the dugout.  Everybody squared off, ready to go after it.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed.  At least until the umpires finally delivered the official word of warning to both dugouts.  That effectively set off the Astros manager.  He was apparently a bit miffed because the warning didn’t come while the Dodgers were on the field.  His mask was bouncing up and down, frantically trying to keep up with the movement of his jaw, as he waved his arms and made his case.  Nothing came of that altercation either. 

And then it was … game over.

Wash.  Rinse.  Repeat tomorrow.

Sigh.  Gotta love Corona life.

Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s evil schemes.”

Father, we are getting the point of this developing patience thing.  Could you maybe move us on to something else and clear out this Corona stuff?  Amen.

July 28 – “A glimpse into weirdness …”

I took notes throughout the day yesterday of my incredibly full experience.  Allow me to share:

Took a walk.

Did my usual Monday workload for church.

Finished a puzzle.

Watched the Astros.

That’s it.  Doesn’t seem like a lot to work with, does it?  So what could I possibly add to make it more exciting?  Let’s see …

On our walk we ran into some pirates, wearing their eye patches and “aaarrr-ing” at whoever happened to pass their way.  They brandished a cutlass or two at us, but with our normal high powered walking speed we managed to out-pace them.  Too much grog on their parts, I suppose.

There is not much to add to the “usual workload” comment, or it wouldn’t fall into the “usual workload” category any more.  So what’s involved, you may ask?  Probably the most difficult part is having to break open the massive file cabinets surrounding my desk.  Yes, it’s true.  I still have – and actively use – those remnants of a long-past past.  File drawers that must be opened with care to avoid the hidden booby traps installed all those years ago when a certain secret agency was the owner and operator of said devices.  I have had them long enough, though, that the “work accidents” have dwindled to a minimum.  Now I rarely have to deal with errant gunshots.  I haven’t heard an explosion in years, and I only occasionally have to deal with cut hands from the assorted hidden knife traps or bruises from the auto-close feature that has a way of trapping fingers.  The copy machine has been replaced, so I no longer have to get security clearance to use it.  And the laptop I use is so old I can no longer see the letters H and N, and only half of the A and M.  I figure I should be safe there.

Finishing the puzzle is one of the pasttimes that is generally required in the early years of setting up a household.  Except then the puzzle was usually figuring out how to put together a bed or a bookcase, or how to set up a new TV, or getting a Christmas present put together in the middle of the night.  Now it serves an entirely different purpose.  Now the simple jigsaw puzzle is actually one of the few means of communication between the old brain and the unseen interlopers from the planet Alz.  Completion of a puzzle serves to fend off the aliens temporarily.  It’s tough work, but it is way more effective than the ray guns we were initially issued.

And finally there are the Astros.  I’ve been a fan since they entered the league and they provided a means of escape for a ragged little ten-year-old who always thought Mickey Mantle got cheated out of his home run title by Roger Maris.  And it wasn’t until many years later that I found out Maris might actually have been a visitor from the future using a corked bat that had been scientifically designed to transfer three times more power to the bat’s sweet spot than those existing at the time.  Totally unfair.  But all that to say … it was an easy transition for me to get away from the foreign affairs going on in far-off New York and transfer my allegiance to the almost-hometown boys.  Oh … and they won.  Three out of four from the Mariners.  Sounds great, but the Mariners are the worst team in baseball.  Should have been a sweep. 

So there’s a look at my boring day.  Glad to have you visit inside my head for a bit.  Be happy you don’t have to live in there …

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Father, thank you for quiet days where I can commune with you and the weirdness inside my head.  Both are quite fun.  Amen.

July 27 – “After the storm”

About thirty-plus people braved the anticipated post-tropical storm winds and rain to gather for church yesterday.  Of course more were watching online.  The road to the beach in Jamaica Beach was completely flooded out.  There was not very much traffic between home and church either.  As it turned out we had a cloudy day, and the gentle Gulf breeze was blowing a bit breezier than usual, but no rains came down.

The music was particularly spot on and upbeat.  We even had guest guitarist Bobby back playing with the Praise Team.  We did miss Dianne (she was up in Houston) and Dale (He was hanging out with grandkids off the Island as well).  But Bobby, Jim, Corey, and Doug did a fabulous job.  Thanks, so much, guys.

After a quick lunch we settled in for an afternoon of Astros baseball.  Three games in and I think I might could get used to this again.  Of course they lost their first game of the year … to the worst team in baseball right now.  They had a chance to pull it out in the bottom of the ninth, though.  Three of the big-time sluggers struck out with the tying run in scoring position.  Trying too hard, I guess.  Oh, well.  Get ‘em tonight, boys.

Ephesians 3:12 says, “In and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

Father, thank you for the musicians you have blessed Seaside with.  They really make worship a special experience with you.  Amen.

July 26 – “Our tropical experience”

We definitely had some tropical experience yesterday, and this time I’m not talking about gentle breezes and a trip to the beach.  Starting about midnight (at least that’s when I was first awakened by the sound of rain “pattering” on the roof) and lasting throughout the day we had our share of tropical storm force wind gusts.  They were accompanied by pretty severe rain.  Downpour for several minutes with 20-30 mile per hour gusts (at least), then relatively calm for a while until the next wave came through.  I always enjoy watching the smaller of our two sycamore trees bend in the breeze.  I don’t think it’ll snap.  At least it hasn’t yet …

Fortunately for us these were just the outer bands of Hurricane Hannah as she made her way onshore down south of Corpus Christi.  The rain was not a bad thing for us.  Chris always delights in not having to water the grass, and said grass always seems to prefer the rain anyway.  Something about a drink directly from its Creator, I guess …

The winds and/or rain apparently knocked out the feed from the Astros broadcast truck for a while.  I managed to pick it up on my phone so I didn’t miss any of the game.  They restored the broadcast on the TV after just a batter or two, though.  And the Astros came through with the win.  Springer hit his yearly opening of the season home run.  He was just a day late to continue his string of homers every opening day.  McCullers was back on the mound, and he looked pretty strong, albeit a little erratic.  Two games down, fifty-eight to go (plus playoffs).

Today we see what kind of shape our outdoor arena under the retreat center is in.  I don’t think there will be any issues, other than maybe some soggy parking areas.  Here we go …

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Father, thank you for the rain.  Please join us at worship today.  Amen.

July 25 – “Pre-storm rush …”

I raced to get the yard mowed and edged yesterday.  Oh, and one of Chris’ bushes got trimmed.  And don’t forget the tree branches that got cut away from the roof of the house.  Why the rush?  Tropical storm winds and bands of rain were on their way.  I did get a little wet, but, as I told Chris, I didn’t even fall off the roof.  Chris wasn’t there at the time or she no doubt would have nixed the whole roof thing.  But a storm in the Gulf just means you have to do certain homeowner maintenance things.

So where was Chris when all this pre-storm activity was going on?  She was on yet another trek to a doctor’s appointment.  This one was a follow-up regarding her rising blood pressure issue.  They almost felt the wrath of said high blood pressure when she arrived to check in.  They tried to tell her that the appointment was supposed to be over the phone.  Oh, no.  She had printed (a confirmation letter) and electronic (a confirmation text sent the day before) indicating that it was an actual appointment where she see an actual doctor.  It took some waiting, but they did get her seen.  Bottom line on that one?  Change up the medication and come back in a month. 

On her way home she stopped by the eye glass place and ordered her new glasses.  Those have been a long time coming.  It was a long time getting inside the door, too.  They were only allowing a few people in at a time.  And then she had to deal with frames that were all kept under lock and key.  Seems they had a robbery.  Sneak thief who walked out with about 20 pair of glasses.  He was seen and they workers got the license plate number of the getaway vehicle.  Captured about half hour later.  Grand Galveston excitement.

Her final stop was at Koop’s.  That’s a barbeque establishment run by Betty Head’s grandson.  This time we had chopped beef sandwiches.  Good stuff.  You should try it out.  Their main establishment is on 23^rd Street.  They also have a food truck at the Jamaica Beach RV park. 

We finally got to watch some Astros baseball last night.  It was a late start though.  They were playing at home, but against Seattle, so they adjusted the start time to make viewing easier on the West Coast.  Chris didn’t make it through the entire game.  She gave up and went to bed with the Astros losing 2-1.  That didn’t last long.  Brantley hit a home run, and the bats finally showed at least some signs of life.  The final score was Good Guys 8, Seattle 2.  Verlander wins opening day again.  And two rookie pitchers made their major league debut. Good for them.  Welcome back, baseball.

Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Father, again … please be with the folks in the path of the storm.  Amen.

July 21 – “Eyes on the Gulf”

Eyes are once again on the Gulf around here.  Sadly, this time it is not to watch someone getting baptized.  We officially have a tropical storm – Tropical Storm Hannah – floating around out there.  As it is looking right now, though, it appears to be headed on a further south track, placing it on a collision course for Corpus Christi.  We will probably get some rain from its outer bands beginning around noon or so today.  That gives me all morning to get the yard mowed anyway. 

And I haven’t even mentioned Hannah’s baby brother Gonzo.  Well, actually the name is Gonzalo.  He formed first, so I guess that makes him the big brother, but from what I have read, he is much smaller right now.  The National Hurricane Center has even said he may dissipate over the weekend.  Sure.  Anybody who has lived on the Coast for any length of time knows that you can never really tell what a hurricane – AKA “Tropical Disturbance” is going to do.  Besides, it’s about time we had something besides Corona to talk about. 

We made another discovery in our Corona-perusings of the television last night.  Seems ABC is showing wild and wacky game shows every Thursday night during the summer.  I’m assuming they were filmed a long time ago, because no one is masked and there is no effort at social distancing.  Maybe they have been around for a long time.  We got a kick out of “Holey Moley,” a weird game of putt-putt golf and wild physical challenges.  Another one called “Don’t” pitted a family against several challenges similar to the ones on Flinch, the game show from Ireland we have been watching on Netflix.  And then we watched the reprisal of the really old show, “To Tell The Truth.”  What can I say?  We’re stuck at home during a pandemic …

Speaking of stuck at home, we are now toying with the idea of waiting until 2022 to attempt our trip to Hawaii.  Several of the folks who were interested are pulling out because of Corona concerns or not enough time to save up to pay for the trip.  We are still kind of on the fence.  The whole thing is contingent on Hawaii opening up anyway, and right now it … isn’t.  Chris read that the Polynesian Cultural Center is closed.  That’s one of the key tourist sites.  I’m not sure if the attractions at Pearl Harbor are open or not.  I for one am not particularly interested in just sitting on a beach all day.  Guess what?  I can do that here.  But on the other hand, all may be fine by then.  Word has it that much progress is being made on a vaccine.  The presidential election will be over in November, so any political-generated hold-ups should be dealt with by then or soon after.  Not that politics would have anything to do with vaccine development …

Galatians 6:8 says, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

Father, please be with the folks in the path of the storms.  Amen.

July 23 – “Adding to the list …”

We went for a walk the other day.  Well, technically we went shopping at WalMart, but that counts during a pandemic, doesn’t it?  We have done our regular walking routine, though.  In fact we are back up to a mile and a half.  So it would seem Chris is doing better in that department.  But back to the Walmart run.  I went to pick up a pineapple.  Meanwhile Chris remembered we needed some tortillas.  She reached back and grabbed the front of the cart and proceeded to pull it behind her, as she has done many times before.  This time, however, the twisting motion combined with the weight of the basket resulted in a pretty excruciating pain.  Yep.  Still there.  Not fixed yet.

Adding to her ever-growing list of doctor runs (she’ll tell you she has seen more doctors since February of this year than she has seen in her entire life), she saw the ophthalmologist yesterday.  She actually called around 1:30 and they gave her an appointment for three.  That’s pretty unheard of around here.  But then, Chris is pretty special.  And on top of that they didn’t charge us a co-pay.  They asked if our insurance company had mentioned waiving that charge.  As it turns out, we did get a letter indicating that was the case.  We’ll take it. 

They reviewed all of her eyeball anomalies with her, but in the end she got a clean bill of health.  The main thing is that she got a new prescription.  That’s what she has been needing for a long time.  By the time she finished, though, the glasses section was getting ready to close, so we’ll have to make a return trip to pick out frames and get the new glasses ordered.  Hurray … an excuse to leave the house.

Galatians 5:16 says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

Father, thank you that there are doctors available to oversee care for Chris – and for all of us.  Bless their efforts.  Amen.

July 22 – “Succulents”

We were descended upon once again yesterday by our thundering hordes of grandkids from LaMarque and Galveston.  They all had signed up for a zoom class put on by the Rosenberg Library here in town.  Christina went by the library and picked up a packet for the kids and they opened them up on our table as the teacher explained how to put them all together.  Oh, the topic?  Succulents.  High class word for plants with juice inside, best I could tell.  By the time they finished each one had a little flower pot with a tiny bush growing out of it.  I couldn’t really hear what the teacher was saying from my post across the room, but I did hear when the kids responded to her in real time.  Pretty interesting stuff. 

We also had time for a quick game of Telestrations.  For some reason everybody seemed interested in my interpretations of drawings and my drawings of their interpretations.  What can I say?  It is a hard life being the in-demand artiste of the family.  But somebody’s gotta do it.

We talked a little with some of our possible Hawaii recruits.  The bottom line will probably keep some of them out.  Looking at April of next year doesn’t give them enough time to save up.  Others are still running the numbers and checking the schedules.  We even had a new request for information come through last night.  This whole process would be so much easier if Covid would just wither up and die.  It would be helpful to plan one way or the other without the prospect of a shutdown hanging over our heads. 

Galatians 4:7 says, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”

Father, please hasten the end of our Corona-plight.  Amen.

July 21 – “Absolute brainstorm”

It has been a rather noisy night around here.  Especially the last few hours.  We are being inundated with rain from band after band of thunderstorms spawned by what amounts to a baby tropical storm just off our coast.  Periods of hard rain followed by bright sunshine dotted our landscape all day yesterday.  Then very early this morning the thunderstorm action began in earnest.  Rolling thunder.  Occasional flashes of the accompanying lightening.  Pretty exciting stuff.  Of course it meant having to keep the computer unplugged when the lightning got close, but that worked out pretty well battery-wise.  The storms are supposed to pass us on by later in the morning.  Guess we’ll return to our usual hot, muggy July days when that happens.  I’ve said it before, ain’t it great to live in a tropical island paradise?

Last night Chris had an absolute brainstorm when it came to making supper.  We were going to have leftover tuna fish sandwiches, but then she remembered.  The flurry in the kitchen began as I stayed out of her way and worked on our next jigsaw puzzle.  And before I knew it, there before me was a plate of chicken fried steak with cream gravy, fresh fried okra from Lauren’s home garden, and black-eyed peas from, well a can.  Can you get any better than that?  I was certainly one happy camper.

We got the initial email from our travel agent yesterday concerning a possible trip to Hawaii next year.  It will be kind of a junior version of our trip to Alaska.  We fly the many hours to get there.  A land portion will keep us in and around Honolulu for a few days.  Then we get on a cruise ship and tour the other islands, stopping to do excursions along the way.  The cruise ship basically becomes our hotel room.  It sounds like another of those once-in-a-lifetime events.  Hey, if we squeeze in enough of those maybe our lifetime will extend itself to fully incorporate all of them …

Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Father, thank you for yet another display of your power.  And thank you for bringing the rain along with it.  Our yard sends its appreciation.  Amen.

July 20 – “A quintessential Facebook baptism?”

We had one of those awesome displays of God’s power at church yesterday.  In more ways than one.  We began setting up for our usual outside service.  Sound equipment.  Chairs.  Tables.  Video.  All of our usual pre-service routine went pretty smoothly.  And then, about five minutes or so before time to start, the Praise Team suddenly kicked it into high gear again.  They started moving all their equipment further under the building.  Apparently someone had the foresight to check the weather radar.  A line of thunderstorms was moving in off the Gulf and was due to reach us any second.  Lots of folks pitched in to help move things around and get re-set, and we started pretty close to on time. 

Boy, was it ever a good move.  The rains did indeed come.  In buckets.  But everyone was safely under the cover of the building.  At one point we were singing the song, “Indescribable.”  It essentially praises the awesomeness of God.  One of the lines says in reference to God, “who has told every lightning bolt where it should go.”  At that very instant a clap of thunder resounded.  Awesome, to be sure.

We also had a baptism scheduled.  It was the quintessential Facebook baptism.  I know.  That one still sounds strange.  The lady posted on Facebook that she felt really called to be baptized by immersion.  She had a Catholic background, but through various Bible studies she had been involved with, she had learned that immersion would be the best picture of the personal relationship she had with Jesus.  As it turned out (coincidence??) one of our Seasiders who had been a long-time friend saw the post and encouraged her to connect with me.  She and her husband drove down from their home in The Woodlands for the service so we could get her baptized. 

For a while, however, it looked like any attempt at entering the Gulf might be in jeopardy.  Not because of Corona shut-downs, but because of the rain and lightning.  And then, just as we were finishing up the service, the sun came out and the sky cleared beautifully.  Another thunderstorm was approaching from offshore, and we could see the rolling clouds and flashes of lightning.  But it was certain that God had given us a window so we could celebrate another display of his awesomeness – a changed life. 

Galatians 1:3-4 says, “The Lord Jesus Christ … gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”

Father, grant strength to Cathy as she lives out her new life with you.  Help her to live out the joy you have placed in her heart.  Amen.

July 19 – “The investigation begins”

Well, it’s official.  We have started the process of investigating a trip to Hawaii for our 46^th anniversary.  Sort of.  That would be sort of anniversary, not sort of investigating.  Chris has been on web sites galore.  I contacted the travel agent who did all the set-up work for our trip to the Panama Canal.  She has begun putting together the different packages available for the time period we want to go – April or May of next year.  We might even have a few other families interested in going with us.  Now all we need is for the Corona madness to die down and Hawaii to open back up. 

The other night as I closed the front door for the evening, I noticed the distinctive flashing lights of police and fire crews behind our neighbor’s house.  I couldn’t stand it.  I slipped on my fire department cap and walked over to pray and to check on the guys from station four.  It was a traffic accident.  Motorcycle versus bicycle.  Both were down, but ambulance crews were already on scene and in fact almost ready to transport when I arrived.  I prayed for the ones involved as I walked toward the fire truck.  And while I prayed for the fire crew, they began to walk up.  Their job was done and they were getting ready to shut down the lights and head back to the station.  It was great to see them again.  It has been so long since I have gone to a station just to check on everyone.  I really do love those guys. 

2 Corinthians 13:11 says, “Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace.  And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Father, please watch over the fire fighters at every station and on every shift.  Keep them safe from the virus as well as from the day to day mayhem they must face.  Amen.

July 18 – “True heroes?”

We were seated around the table.  All was quiet, save for the occasional polite conversation.  That’s when we first heard it.  A tiny, sweet sound rising from behind us.  Hark.  A voice.  And it says … “I’m gonna scare the tar out of you.”  It was followed by an intense, low growl.  Frightening.  What could possibly be the origin of such a strange and scary, yet sweet and beautifully haunting sound?  None other than three-year-old AnnaGrace.  I think she learned something from her three older brothers …

We took a walk to see the waterfalls in the little stream at the park near their house.  Someone had dammed up the water at one point, creating a miniature lake.  Luke and AnnaGrace and I floated some canoes (sticks) and even a raft (small hunk of discarded wood) down the stream and over the dam.  The sound of a flowing brook and the playing of children.  Amazingly peaceful …

As we sat in the front yard and watched the boys play basketball and AnnaGrace play in the sprinklers (well, and also Zak play on the tree swing), a neighbor who was taking a walk called out, “Grandmas and Grandpas are the true heroes of the family.”  How could we argue with that?  He came back on his return trek and stopped to talk for a while.  He is a professor at Baylor.  Very fun guy to talk to.  He is impressed with Galveston’s history.  I was impressed with his background.  He is a Pennsylvania-born, Mennonite Yankee who married a very conservative Nigerian lady.  Sounds like a lot of fun at their house. 

Yesterday we received an invitation to Fun Friday Mystery Road Trip.  Every so often Christi designates a Friday (Josh’s day off) as Fun Friday.  The family engages in some whimsical activity together.  This one was a surprise trip.  Well, it was supposed to be a surprise for the kids, anyway.  And it was, right up until Josh accidentally spilled the beans the night before.  Oops.  It didn’t make the trip any less fun, though.  We followed them to Lake Whitney where they planned to spend the day with good friends of us all (and our Alaska cruise companions), Cary and Kay Lynn.  The kids went swimming in the lake.  Zak did a little fishing.  Us old people sat on the bank and chatted about a possible trip to Hawaii we all want to take in the Spring, if everything opens up by then.  Then we all enjoyed a Mexican food delight lunch, before we had to hit the road for home.  Great time …

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 says, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Father, thanks for a great Waco week.  And we’d really like to make that Hawaii trip, so we could use some help on the Corona closings front.  Amen.

July 17 – “Alterations”

Back on Wednesday … well, I think it was Wednesday.  I’m at least a day behind, I’m pretty sure, but in actuality I have no idea what day it is any more.  But back on Wednesday … or Tuesday … I don’t think it was yesterday … we played Telestrations.  However, we had to make one little alteration.  See, I didn’t bring the actual game.  So that meant I had to make up a bunch of words and phrases for each person to choose from.  And we had to create little booklets for each person to use for the drawings and guesses.  So the pre-game preparations took a long time.  It wasn’t bad though.  The prep became part of the fun, as we had plenty of help using scissors and staplers.  Once we began it was like a regular game.  Some words were a cinch.  Others transformed into convoluted messes based on the pictures drawn.  Great family fun.

I went swimming with AnnaGrace.  They have a small, but not too small pool set up on their back patio.  She was in the water playing when I slinked in behind her.  She was a bit taken aback at first, but when she realized that I was willing to play the role of one of the jaguar family, she warmed up to me really well. 

Josh stopped for Mexican food takeout on his way home at lunch from a morning meeting.  Quesadillas and tacos.  He knows the way to his Mommy’s heart, that’s for sure. 

Late that afternoon I played basketball with all the boys.  All the boys.  Including Josh.  Brought back memories of my coaching days.  And yep … I’m still a little sore.

That night we stayed up to watch Men in Black: International.  Fun movie, but by the time it was over, it was way past my bedtime.

Not bad for a Wednesday … or Tuesday.  Or whatever day that was.

Mark 9:23 says, “’If you can?’ said Jesus.  ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’”

Father, thank you for alterations and quesadillas and sore muscles.  They all tell a family story.  Amen.

July 16 – “What’s a glitterizer?”

We headed to Waco for a few days.  All the quarantine dizziness was just making our heads spin.  For Chris it was more than Corona-ness though.  She is still getting used to the meds they have her on.  One of the side effects is dizziness.  Now I can say, unequivocally, that I married a dizzy blonde. 

We stopped at Buc-ees on the way to go to the bathroom and grab something to eat in the car.  Don’t worry.  Remember that Buc-ees is known for the cleanest bathrooms in the state, and hand sanitizer was in evidence in the car as well.  Not everyone got the mask memo though.  But there were more masks than not this time. 

Once we got to Waco we found out that the mayor is trying to keep a handle on all things Corona-ish.  As a result Christi is making sure her kiddos stay away from people as much as possible.  Their church is going through all sorts of hoop-jumping as well.  They have a day care center that they have to keep in compliance as well as a recreation center.  Lots of legal mumbo jumbo to wade through. 

On a lighter note, I heard that the Washington Redskins football team is changing their team name and logo.  Best replacement I’ve heard so far?  D.C. Comics.  Imagine it … they could all wear Superman’s “S” on their chests.  And they could commission helmets to look like Batman’s cowl. 

We were sitting in the front yard Tuesday evening, watching the boys play basketball, when new had some visitors.  Two of the owls that have made a home for themselves in the woods behind the house came out to visit us.  One landed on the power line and stuck around there until the second one made its appearance.  Then the two of them flew across the street to a tree over there.  It was amazing.  Their wing span was really huge.  Very graceful birds.  Well, except that first one.  He didn’t exactly stick the landing on the power line.  Recovered well, though.

Later that night we went on a comet hunt.  Josh drove us to the darkest place he could find, a park somewhere in Waco.  The sky was really clear, as we saw lots of stars.  We identified several constellations like the Big and Little Dipper.  But no comet.  Guess we’ll keep trying over the next week or so until it heads on its merry way until its next appearance in 6,000 years or so. 

AnnaGrace let us know what she wants for Christmas.  Actually she just wants it.  She called it a Glitterizer.  What?  Christi apparently wasn’t sure as to the provenance of said request, so she followed up.  Seems a glitterizer is like a rifle that you shoot and glitter gets all over everything.  Of course it is.  How could we not see that?  I don’t think she’ll have much luck acquiring one from her parents, though.  They are not too keen on the whole “glitter all over everything” idea.  But she does have a key set of grandparents and a certain set of adopted grandparents (Psssst … Cary and Kay Lynn) who have been known to “bend the rules” here and there …

Psalms 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Father, thank you the chance we had to see a few of your wondrous creations, the owls and the stars.  And of course, the grandkids.  Amazing.  Just amazing.  Amen.

July 15 – “The Cool Old Guy”

The other day when Chris went in for her doctor appointment, she noticed an older man in front of her.  She dutifully stopped at her designated yellow line of six-foot demarcation and watched the human drama that was about to unfold.

The old guy (OG from here on) was walking with a cane and either had hearing problems as well, or was hoping that others would think he did (Not that I would have any experience with the latter, but I completely understand the former).  When the COVID screener (CS from here on) finally got his attention, he returned to the front desk to hear the inevitable and now-dreaded Corona Questions. 

Before getting into the Corona Challenge, however, the attendant innocently asked him who he was here to see.  He responded with the proper name of a doctor who did indeed office in the clinic.  The next question, however, proved a bit more challenging.  “What time is your appointment?”

He responded in typical Cool OG fashion, “I don’t know.  Eight?  Eight-ten?  It was early.  I know that.” 

Patiently the CS ran his name and birthdate through the system.  There he was. 

“I’m sorry, sir, but your appointment is not until Wednesday.”

Visibly shaken, he countered, “Oh no.  That will not do.  I can’t be here on Wednesday.  I need you to change that so I can be seen this morning.”

Unfazed by the impossible request, and not having the authority to make such changes anyway, CS came up with a solution.  “Are you going home now?  If you will head home right away, I will have the nurse call you, and she will talk with you about rescheduling the appointment.” 

Sadly and with slumped shoulders, Cool Old Guy turned to leave.  As he passed by Chris and glanced up at her, she was able to see clearly his anti-Covid mask.  On it had been scrawled, “Jesus help me.”  You and me both, my friend.  You and me both.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Father, please be with Cool Old Guy at his appointment today.  Help him to be happy.  Amen.