February 26 - “Bye bye Blue”

Well, the day finally arrived. Good ol’ Blue the 1992 pick up truck is gone. It had a shaky transmission, needed a new fuel pump and who knows what else. That, combined with years of Galveston rust, brought her to her knees - or would that be tires? 

We donated her to Cars for Kids. They try to get the cars up and running and resell them. We get an IRS donation credit based on what they sell it for. 

She did a lot of ministry here on the Island, beginning with Hurricane Ike. Thanks to Blair Jones for making her available all these years. 

Guess we are officially a one-car family. Here’s hoping that will be enough … 

Chris had an appointment in the afternoon to have someone check out the pain she has been having in her hip. The recommendation was that she have an x-ray (insurance requirement), then a shot, then meds. She got the x-ray before she left the clinic. The new meds prescription was called into the pharmacy. And she has an appointment for the shot in a a week or so. All Chris wants is some relief before we leave on our looong cruise. With lots of steps. And walking excursions in Spain. 

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭25‬:‭1‬ says, Yahweh, You are my God; I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for You have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

Father, please ease the pain Chris is having. Amen. 

February 25 - “Two birds. One stone”

Chris got one of her wishes granted yesterday. It was a beautiful day (albeit kinda cold), so she went to work on the flowerbeds. She has really been chomping at the bit to get after that yardwork. I’ve been telling her she has to wait until after Zak and Lindsay’s wedding in April. Yeah, THAT hasn’t gone over well. 

Meanwhile, I waded back into our income tax stuff. Our accountant sent over the first of the inevitable emails asking for clarification or missing forms. Sadly, there were a few of both this time. I think I found what she needed, though. I was pretty sure we’d have to pay a lot this time. That unexpected  executor fee I was paid didn’t include any deductions with it. But her last email indicated it didn’t look quite as bad as I anticipated. I’ll take that. 

After lunch we did our errands run. Walmart first to get a few groceries. Oh, and a Chris HAD to make a quick run through the garden department. She’s got Spring fever bad. 

Next we went to the East End of the island to pick up my errant hearing aid. It took some doing, but they finally came through. And Chris was able to get her glasses tightened up while we were there. Two birds. One stone. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭44‬ says, The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

Father, thank you for the somewhat good news on the tax front. Amen. 

February 24 - “Not what I was hoping for”

Chris had her weight-lifting class yesterday. In fact, she was the only one who could be there, so she had a personal trainer for the day. Worked her pretty good. She even brought out the actual barbells this time. 

I wanted to get the truck cleaned up and ready to sell. Nathan had called and said he had rounded up a potential buyer. All I had to do was get it to Santa Fe. And … it  didn’t start. It cranked just fine, but then nothing. 

I called my retired mechanic for some advice. Being the good guy that he is, Dennis just came on by the house. He did his diagnostic. Even poured some gas directly into the carburetor. The engine really liked that special treat, but once it burned off, it died again. After some more checks and rechecks, he made his diagnosis:

Fuel pump shot. Pretty expensive to replace on that vehicle.  And combined with the rapidly accumulating Galveston rust, it was just not worth the hassle. 

Well, that was not what I was hoping for, but it is what it is. I got the contact info for Carsforkids.com from Nathan (he has used them before) and set up a donation for a tax write-off. They will pick it up tomorrow. 

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬ says, When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity.

Father, thank you for Dennis’ friendship and help. Bless him. Amen. 

February 23 - “Farewell, Olympics”

After church we hung around and talked with our friends, Dale and Debbie. He is a pastor, so he and I connected.  They are in their early 70’s - connection number two. And she and Chris share a lot common. Oh. And they are interested in doing some cruising and road tripping. Made for a lot of connections and subsequently a lot to talk about. 

Back home we watched some of the Olympics closing ceremonies. We always like to see the athletes big entrance. Sometimes they have good shows, too. One of them was really weird this time. Some traditionally garbed Japanese lady walked around while some ballerina kind of dancers flitted about on stage. The actual hand-over-the-Olympic-flag ceremony was pretty cool, though. And they showed the actual men’s hockey team gold medal ceremony. Go, USA!

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ says, Search for the Lord and for His strength; seek His face always.

Father, be with Dale and Debbie. Bless them and give them wisdom about retiring. Amen. 

February 22 - “Misdirection”

I had to make a quick dash back over to H&R Block yesterday. They are handling the income tax filing for Sam’s estate. Why? I received another form in the mail that was apparently part of the packet of financial info I already turned over. Not sure what took them so long. And I had no idea it was coming anyway. My advisor won’t be back until Monday, so I had to trust the receptionist to get it to her. 

I got back just in time to head for Ezra’s football game in League City. He’s on a team with some six-year-olds, so it’s hard to keep them focused (very frustrating to Coach Kel). Jachin (assistant coach) said it’s like herding cats. And to make matters worse, the team they were playing towered over them by at least a head or two. 

We did have one play that made the whole morning worthwhile. Ezra went out for a pass. He turned toward the quarterback , pointed across the field, and shouted, “He’s open! Throw it to him!” The defense bit hook, line, and sinker. They all shifted that way. The quarterback gave a casual glance that direction, then tossed out to Ezra. He made a big gain after the catch. What a misdirection. Proud of those little guys!

After lunch I decided I didn’t want to wade through our lawn weeds to search for the newspaper any more. Time to mow. Yep. In February. It was so thick - and even wet underneath - that I had to mow over every patch twice. That is … tiring. Chris made me stop without weedeating. I didn’t argue. 

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ says, Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Father, help those little football guys remember to just have fun. Amen. 

February 21 - “A flustered Australian”

Got in a quick walk. Two miles. A little faster than usual, so I guess that’s progress. We were joking about how we have two weeks to get in shape for the cruise. And then Chris remembered that we signed up for a beginners’ pickleball class. That’ll be interesting, for sure. 

I had an interesting development come up after lunch. For some insane reason one of my hearing aids decided to … stop. That’s it. Just stop. No sound at all. Not a helpful position for a hearing aid to take, wouldn’t you agree? Sigh. See you next week, O thou tool of my ear. 

We stopped on the way home at Randall’s to get a prescription and some gas. From there we went to CVS to get a vitamin for Chris that is only sold there. 

But it was on our way out that we had our fun experience of the day. A very flustered lady was frantically typing into her phone when we entered. When we came out she was still there. She apologetically asked if we could possibly help her. She had been trying to explain to an Uber driver where she was, and was having no luck at all. She just needed someone to tell the driver how to find her. 

Well, instead of going to all that trouble, we eliminated the middle man and offered to take her where she needed to go. She accepted in her heavily accented way. We found out she was from Australia, in town to meet her daughter who works on a cruise ship (as Cat in the Hat!) and join her on a cruise. An Uber had taken her to Walmart, and she had wandered to CVS searching for a WiFi signal. In her words, we were her “angels” for giving her a ride. She promised to pay it forward when she got back from the cruise. So if a very nice Australian lady offers you a ride in a week or two … she’s OK. 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭24‬ says, But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

Father, be with our cruise lady friend. Help her enjoy her time with her daughter. Amen. 

February 20 - “Apps and gold”

We had quite the full morning, and we never left the house. We both switched into cruise preparation mode. We enrolled in one of those Facebook groups for people going on this transatlantic cruise. It’s fun to see what other people are thinking and wondering about. 

We also downloaded the app for the airline we’ll be on coming home from Spain. We took care of some of the details about flight information and pre-registration. Now we can see our seat assignments and keep watch on any changes that might happen. And in a week or so we can even choose what we want for our in-flight meal. 

After some lunch we turned on the Winter Olympics to watch the women’s figure skating. The U.S. girl who messed up on her first skate did amazing on her second try. Skyrocketed her into first place for a while, anyway. She ended up fifth, but one of the other Americans won gold. And speaking of gold … the American girls’ hockey team beat Canada in overtime to win that gold. Woohoo! Go U.S.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ says, No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Father, thank you for the encouragement of the other cruisers on that Facebook page. Amen.